YOU might think they are the biggest 'gasbags' in the world. But hey, they are laughing all the way to the bank. They are shrewd entrepreneurs who have found a way to bottle air and sell it to the largest (and highly polluted market) in the world -- China. Now, we are told their eyes are trained on India too. Will the Indians cop a sniff? We don't know, yet. In the meantime here's a look at the air farmers of our times.
1. Vitality Air. Founded by Moses Lam in 2015. He was a mortgage broker who began selling bags of air from Canada on eBay as a joke. Today, he is raking in the moolah. Vitality Air has sold 12,000 bottles so far in China alone. Customers include athletes, business executives and families with small children.
Cost: $20 - $32 for a canister with 150 - 200 breaths.
2. Aethaer (pronounced Earth Air) was founded by 27-year-old Leo De Watts in January 2016. So far he's sold 278 jars, mostly in China and also in the US and Europe too. According to the founder, AETHAER is collected from "fresh natural air flowing over a range of fertile lush pastures and wild untouched meadows, wind-kissed hilltops and heavenly snow-capped mountains." Oh well... The air is packed in heritage-style glass jars, which is labelled, stating the area from which the air was collected, and a "description of the contents (huh?) is provided on the reverse of the container". The purchase is accompanied by a label of Authenticity. Right now they have bottled air from Dorset, Wales, Somerset, Wiltshire and Yorkshire in Great Britain
Cost: 80 pounds a jar of 580 ml air plus £12 flat shipping fee.
3. Back in 2012, Chen Guangbiao, a philanthropist and Chinese billionaire began selling air bottled in soft drink cans to his own people. His 'air' comes from Tibet and Taiwan. And he sells them in 'different flavours' like 'pristine Tibet' and 'post-industrial Taiwan' (do you think the latter will have a metallic smell?). He sold 800$ worth of bottled air on the first day alone.
Cost: 5 Chinese Yuan ($0.80) a can.
4.Paradise Air (Toronto based) sells air from Australia and Tasmania. According to their website they collect air from three most remote regions in the world.
1. Cape Grim, Tasmania, Australia: Cleanest, purest air on Planet Earth
2. South Coast, Australia: Pristine, sun-soaked beach air
3. Remote Blue Mountains, Australia: Crisp, clean mountain-fresh air
Cost: $55.99 - $64.99
5. Green and Clean Air was started by John Dickinson and Theo Ruygrok in Australia. They sell air collected from Australia's mountains and beaches. Each disposable can contains 130 deep breaths. They come in different varieties - Pure Gold-Coast Air, Bondi Beach, Blue Mountains, Tassie and Yarra Valley Air. And yes, they are sold in China.
Cost: $20 per can
PS: We are told that you need about 20,000 one liter bottles of air everyday. Mmmm....
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