The purchase of a 337,391-square-foot building in Nashua by a subsidiary of Nongfu Spring, China’s largest water and beverage bottler, has attracted scrutiny from state officials. (Nashua Property Assessor / https://assessing.nashuanh.gov/)
Offers to help with marketing
Nongfu Spring went on to purchase the Nashua warehouse for $67 million through its North American subsidiary at the start of this year. The warehouse had been sitting empty and was previously assessed to be worth about $15 million — or less than a quarter of the sales price.
After the sale, Bergeron stayed in contact with Nongfu Spring’s representatives, offering suggestions on how the company could get its New Hampshire operations off the ground.
In an email on April 8, 2025 between Bergeron and Hermann Liu, an investment advisor working with Nongfu Spring, Bergeron offered to customize marketing materials for the company once there is a name and brand established.
“Your marketing and branding can take advantage of New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation branding that includes open space, clean water, mountains, ocean, and individual freedom,” Bergeron wrote.
When asked about the Department of Business and Economic Affairs’ previous statement that the department provided “no substantive assistance,” Ela Schmuhl, the director of public affairs, said, “When we use that phrase, we mean financial assistance.”
Schmuhl said: “We are referring to financial support, which the state and the BEA therefore does not provide.”
A contentious local issue
While the sale was being facilitated throughout 2024 and finally closed in January 2025, Nongfu Spring's purchase only started getting local media attention this summer. It triggered op-eds from local politicians and Facebook groups with names like “Stop China's Nashua Water Grab.” A June Reddit post about the facility garnered more than 50 comments in the New Hampshire subreddit group.
At a Nashua Board of Alderman meeting in August, where a large crowd showed up to voice complaints, Mayor Jim Donchess told people they were wrong to blame city officials.
“You're in the wrong place because this [sale] was initiated and driven by Concord,” he said. “So you should be in the Executive Council chamber or maybe in the Legislature, maybe in the Economic Development Office.”
“But coming to Nashua to object to this,” he added. “Really, we are kind of just spectators to the whole thing.”
The CEO of Pennichuck Water, the city’s water utility, clarified that the city’s water was not purchased by the company and as a public utility it could not legally deny service to Nongfu Spring.
“We are not for sale,” said CEO of Pennichuck Water John Boisvert at the same Board of Aldermen meeting. “You all would be the first to know it if we were, and it would be your decision as the sole shareholder to move that forward. . . . Pennichuck is not selling any land. We're not selling any or giving up any water rights.”
State and national politicians have added to the noise on this issue, calling for additional scrutiny. Gov. Kelly Ayotte directed the state Attorney General’s office to investigate the sale. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, who represents Nashua in Congress, sent a letter to the Treasury Secretary asking for additional information on the sale.
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced at an Executive Council meeting Wednesday that the state had completed its investigation.
These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative.Don’t just read this. Share it with one person who doesn’t usually follow local news — that’s how we make an impact. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.