Fonto de Vivo: the purifier Orisa makes river water drinkable

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Puerto Carreño, 2020 - © Fonto de Vivo / Jérémie Houdin

Fonto de Vivo invented an innovative water purifier. To develop the filtering system called Orisa, the start-up from Atlantic France worked with major French NGOs. Designed to suit all needs and be long-lasting, the low-tech water purifier does not need any energy nor cartridges. It could save millions of lives throughout the world.

Drinkable water for everybody and everywhere”: this is the promise of the company Fonto de Vivo, created in 2017. The start-up from Atlantic France designed a water purifier which tackles a global problem: half the world’s population is suffering from poor water quality.

An innovative and cost-cutting humanitarian solution

David Monnier, one of the two co-founders of Fonto de Vivo, worked for 14 years in humanitarian aid. To develop the water purifier Orisa, the company worked alongside important NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières, the French Red Cross or Doctors of the World. 

The purifier can be used with the freshwater of rivers, ponds, open wells, etc. Thanks to ultrafiltration membranes, it allows 99,999% of biological pollutants such as viruses and bacteria to be removed. The system is an autonomous family solution which can filter 120 liters per hour on demand.

Orisa is adaptable to many types of containers (from 30 to 120 cm), works without electricity and does not require any filtration cartridges. Sold for only €80, it has been designed to last at least five years. It does not require any maintenance nor part replacements, can be repaired locally and is fully recyclable. 

Production from A to Z in Atlantic France

Fonto de Vivo is based at the Village by CA in Nantes and supported by the business and innovation center Atlanpole. To develop the water purifier which is 100% made in France, the start-up worked with researchers from the universities of Angers and Nantes and a design office from Vendée. More than 3,000 Orisa purifiers have been ordered and they are produced in a factory in Aizenay (Vendée).

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