The purchase of a vacant warehouse in Nashua by China’s largest beverage company earlier this year has ignited rounds of finger pointing between state and city officials over how the company was recruited to come to New Hampshire in the first place.
City officials say state economic officials courted the company, Nongfu Spring, which is owned by one of China’s richest men. The state Department of Business and Economic Affairs, however, has said it gave ”no substantive assistance” to Nongfu Spring.
But new documents obtained by NHPR show that senior state economic development officials in fact worked for months to recruit Nongfu Spring to New Hampshire, offering to help the company with permits, utilities and infrastructure, and facilitating meetings on other matters.
Emails show that Michael Bergeron, a business development manager at state Department of Business and Economic Affairs, coordinated meetings between employees of Nongfu Spring, their American representatives and City of Nashua employees as well as water utility Pennichuck, both before and after the sale, which closed in January 2025.
One visit included a tour of the facility in June 2024. On September 16, 2024, Bergeron followed up with Nongfu Spring representatives about the visit.
“I am just checking in as a follow up to your visit to New Hampshire last spring,” Bergeron wrote to Zhong Shanshan, the founder of Nongfu Spring. “Is there any further interest in establishing your new operation at the building you toured in Nashua, New Hampshire?”
Bergeron went on to share information about the appeal of the Granite State, noting that the state “offers the lowest taxes in the northeast, tax credits, talent attraction services, and hands on approach to helping you and your team start production on time.”
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.
