EDWARDIAN BOTTLED WATER BRAND RELAUNCHED
The newest water to launch comes from the heart of Britain – but it was first enjoyed exactly a century ago. The village-hall of Longtown, in the foothills of the Black Mountain on the Herefordshire/Welsh border, was the bottling plant in Edwardian times for spring water extracted from the Hatterrall Hills. Now, in a high-tech and contemporary setting, water from a source near to the original is flowing once more.
The Black Mountain Mineral Water Company, already well-known for its Celtic Vale brand of bottled water, has revived the traditional 100-year-old brand with the launch of Hatterrall Ridge Premium Spring Water www.hatterrallridge.co.uk
Owned and run by a local family which has farmed the land since the 1800s, the company began 15 years ago. However, bottled water in the area originated in 1910 according to local people*.
Melanie Watkins, the family member responsible for Sales & Marketing, explains: “We’ve come a long way from our cottage industry origins to our modern, purpose built bottling facility. Our Mineral Water is sold under the established ‘Celtic Vale’ label and now in 2010, building on our success in the industry, we have expanded to introduce a product for the “high end” market, particularly aimed at the hospitality industry.
“The Hatterrall Ridge name links the product to its place of origin and the exceptional quality bottled water that has its roots in a tradition that is a century old. Far from being a new fad, this underlines just how much people have for decades enjoyed and valued this wonderful and refreshing drink”.
The company is an Associate Member of British Bottled Water Producers (BBWP) www.britishbottledwater.org the trade group that represents some of the best smaller British bottled waters.
BBWP Director, Jo Jacobius, comments: “During the past year, UK-sourced bottled waters have achieved a growth of 5 per cent ahead of imported waters (2009 Zenith International data). So, to see another fine water – and particularly one with such an historic heritage – coming onto the market is very pleasing. British consumers are getting the message that buying bottled water doesn’t have to cost the earth – in fact, by supporting British businesses that act as stewards of the land, they are helping preserve the British countryside. Bottling companies depend on the purity of their land to produce water that is wholesome so they have a vested interest in protecting the environment, making healthy drinking habits eco-friendly as well as good for our health”.
