Nestlé Waters Canada enters into sponsorship relationship with Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie for three years

Le Grand Défi committed to improving health of Quebec children

BOUCHERVILLE, QC, June 1, 2015 /CNW/ - Nestlé Waters Canada, Canada's market share-leading manufacturer and distributor of healthy beverage products, today announced that it has entered into a three-year sponsorship relationship with Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie, an organization committed to promoting healthy life habits among young people, through physical activity and healthy eating.

Established in 2008, Le Grand Défi is the largest health-related activity ever organized in the province of Quebec. To achieve its youth health objective, Le Grand Défi has partnered with Quebec schools to help children make healthier choices in their everyday lives, to build habits that will become the norm for future generations. Its two areas of action are physical activity and healthy eating. In parallel, the organization seeks to raise parents' awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle for their children's health and, of course, for their own health.

Nestlé Waters Canada's sponsorship will include placement of the Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie logo on its Nestlé Pure Life Natural Spring Water packaging over the life of the sponsorship agreement; association as a major sponsor of Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie, including visibility and brand activation at the 1,000 km event, the Energy Cubes Challenge competition and in the Grand Prize events.

"Given Nestlé's leadership in the marketplace, our common commitment to public advocacy in support of healthy lifestyles choices, Nestlé Waters Canada is a natural partner for Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie," said Pierre Lavoie, President, Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie. "We look forward to working with Nestlé Waters over the next three years to help young people better understand the value proposition associated with the combination of physical activity, good nutrition and healthy hydration." 

"Nestlé Waters Canada is extremely proud to be associated with Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie as a major sponsor," said Debbie Moore, President, Nestlé Waters Canada. "Children who are physically active are less likely to develop several preventable chronic diseases. It is critical that all young people in Quebec participate in daily physical exercise, develop good nutritional habits and stay properly hydrated. This will create the best scenario for life-long healthy living."

"Nestlé Pure Life Natural Spring Water and water, in general, represent the basis for healthy hydration and good nutrition," explained Tracey Peake, Director of Marketing, Nestlé Waters Canada. "Le Grand Défi is doing important work with school children across the province of Quebec through its emphasis on physical activity and healthy eating, helping to lay the foundation for a good life. We look forward to working with Le Grand Défi to help educate children about better lifestyle choices." 

About Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie:

In 1999, Pierre Lavoie launched the first Défi Pierre Lavoie in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean in order to raise awareness in his region about lactic acidosis, the illness which took two of his children from him, and to raise funds for research. He cycled alone over 650 km in 24 hours on an itinerary around the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. The event was such a success that Pierre repeated the experience in 2000, 2002 and 2005.

In 2005, as he was giving conferences in schools, Pierre noticed the keen interest students took in his Défi. He started taking the dream to new heights with Germain Thibault, a Radio-Canada director that Pierre met in the context of a news report on the 1999 Ironman in Hawaii. Both of them shared the same concerns for the health of young people. Together, they came up with the idea of extending the Défi Pierre Lavoie to the entire province in order to encourage elementary school pupils to adopt healthy life habits. The project was launched in November 2008 and was renamed Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie.

Seven years later, Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie is reaching communities across the province of Québec, in Canada and in France. In 2014, more than 450 000 children with their families cumulated more than 90 millions energy cubes; 5 600 cyclists and 6 500 runners completed one of the Grand défi's challenges; allowing to give back $1.8 million to schools in need. In 2015, 8800 family doctors will prescribe energy cubes to their patients, making sure that healthy lifestyles is on everyone's mind and accessible to every generation.

About Nestlé Waters Canada

Established in 1970, Nestlé Waters Canada is associated with Nestlé Waters North America of Stamford, Connecticut. With headquarters in the Township of Puslinch, bottling facilities in Hope, British Columbia, and Puslinch and distribution facilities in Chilliwack, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Puslinch and Laval, Quebec, approximately 400 employees support a network of more than 145 retailers across Canada.

SOURCE Nestlé Waters Canada