History

In countries like Germany, Italy, Belgium and France there is a long tradition concerning mineral waters and spa's, unlike the Netherlands and other countries where the interest in recent decades arise.

Before the Roman times already water had his magic place in Europe. In the Celtic culture sources were the focus of religious acts, the springs were often considered sacred. Around this source, several shrines built.

The importance of spring water in Europe surged with the Romans. The average Roman used a staggering 700 litres of water a day! The Romans' contribution to the water culture as we know it today mainly lies in the fact that they started to exploit the often warm, carbon-rich springs in their settlements across Europe. They discovered a host of springs and usually built their towns near these sources so that they would always have access to fresh drinking water.

In the 17th century the first attempts were made at "bottling" and transporting springwater. This grew into a lively trade. In 1778, for example, one million pitchers of Selters were sold.

Spring water became even more important in the 18th century. Around this period men discovered that the mineral contents of the water differed greatly from one source to the next. This was used to explain the special healing properties, although they had no idea at the time what the different minerals exactly did.

In the 19th and 20th century, people gradually started to isolate the precise properties of the different minerals. It became possible to treat ailments in a very specific manner and this led to the development of the many health spas we still know today. These developments boosted the popularity of springwater.

The springwater market has gained momentum in recent decades. Spring water is accepted as the healthy alternative and more and more people are realizing the remarkable differences in taste between the brands.