«Once upon a time, a lady came to us to refill her spray bottle and that's how the story all started».

aquama: How did you find out about the aquama® solution?

Mathias Bavaud: Some time ago, aquama®’s founder, Willy Lionel Pomathios, was visiting various boat shows to present his new sanitizing solution. Being myself the founder of MB-Composite, a company in the boating industry, I first heard about aquama® through a friend of mine. He was so convinced of this solution’s efficiency that he suggested I try it out. And that is in fact how it all started. I found the concept highly appropriate, on an ecological basis and economically as well, and what is more: it solves a whole lot of problems in one single go. To me it was more than obvious to be convinced of it straight away. I first learnt about it in spring 2016 and immediately started using it. And then, exactly one year later, I even became aquama®’s ambassador.

a: You then started using this solution at home and in your company?

MB: The change was radical! Overnight, all traditional cleaning products disappeared except for vinegar! At MB Composite, we all use aquama® for everything: cleaning the premises, the coffee machines etc. It is a multi-purpose solution and highly effective in everyday use. At home, I admit I had to help my housemaid a bit for her to change old cleaning habits (laughter)! In the beginning, she felt a bit reluctant, but then she quickly understood what the process was all about. The possibilities of this product are really endless: when my clothes get a stain that doesn't go away with normal detergents, I dip it into the aquama® solution for 3 days and it disappears all by itself, like magic!

a: What is your role as brand ambassador?

MB: I took up this activity in addition to my own company business because I really believe in this new sanitizing product. I am in fact a freelancer for aquama®. One could say that I preach the good word around me (laughter)! As I am in the habit of working with companies from very different industries I talk to them about the aquama® solution when I visit them and often, they try it out immediately and end up by being totally convinced!


a: Do you get in touch with the other members of the aquama® team?

MB: Yes, of course! We in fact do not see each other regularly, but we work closely together. The team is made up of believers and we need such kind of people, just like Willy Lionel Pomathios, the founder of aquama®.


a: And obviously, the system convinced you so much that you started a drive-in system, right?

MB: I already had this idea in mind earlier. A few years later, a sudden opportunity popped up. In 2018, I first acquired a bactericidal machine with a 15-liter tank. In 2020, I then purchased another machine with a 100-liter virucide tank. I proposed to Willy setting them both up in the entry hall of my company MB Composite in Yverdon. And then, one day, a lady came to refill her spray bottle and that is in fact how it all started.


a: What was the interest in creating a drive-in?

MB: It was a double opportunity for us and aquama® as well, due to several reasons: we offer full visibility for the sanitizing brand and our customers just drive in, leave their cars on the company parking lot and then easily refill their spray bottles. The system is clever and implies no financial transactions: everything is done via application and all one needs to do is download it. The process is fast, highly efficient and very economical: a liter of virucide solution will cost a private person 9.95 Swiss francs only.


a: Who are in fact the people that will come to you and which solution will they prefer?

MB: Due to the current sanitary situation, people will prefer to use the virucide solution. We have many different types of customers, private and corporate! The companies we provide with are mainly SNF and schools who appreciate the fact that our solution is perfectly natural. Imagine kids playing on the floor: they touch everything, put things in their mouths and thus risk to ingest hazardous or harmful substances. People nowadays need to become aware of the fact that using toxic products is not only bad for health, but it is also much more expensive and ecologically unsustainable.

a: What difficulties did you have to face when introducing this new product?

MB: When I first started out, I thought it would only take a year or so to see aquama® spray bottles in all the shops, but unfortunately things were not as easy as that. People are often afraid of making changes in their lives, and my biggest challenge was and still is how to convince them of the urgent need to change their consumption habits. aquama® has a lot of advantages: it is economical for companies, non-polluting because it contains little grey energy, efficient on all kinds of surfaces and eco-responsible in use. Ideally, it should be sold by every shopping mall, fitness center and swimming pool facilities, where the daily number of people coming in and out is high and would give excellent accessibility to the product.

a: According to you, what does the future of aquama® look like?

MB: I am full of hope because the possibilities are just immense. Today, people are becoming more and more aware of how important hygiene is in daily life. Sanitary situations like the one we are experiencing this year prove that effective and healthy disinfection is indispensable. The aquama® brand is a lot on the move and offers different sizes of portable household machines. There is a solution for everyone. Being an optimist, I believe that growing public awareness will make aquama® develop very well in the future. Personally, I always carry my own spray bottle with me and am ready to draw it out to convince reluctant people (laughter)!