Water is the most important resource on the planet. How could it be otherwise? If a person can live for up to two months without food, dehydration can lead to irreversible consequences in just a few days. This is because the human body is about 60% water, and even our bones contain it.
Poor environmental conditions and climate change harm nature, and as a result, the number of sources of clean, fresh water decreases each year. Not surprisingly, resourceful entrepreneurs have decided to capitalize on this global catastrophe by turning ordinary water into big business.
However, not all companies are equally conscientious. Some attract customers with high-quality products, while others violate standards to cut production costs and sell as much water of dubious origin as possible. We have compiled a list of the most famous brands with strong reputations and high trustworthiness.
The drinking water market is divided between large transnational corporations. The American companies The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo hold the leading positions. Valpre, Dasani, BonAqua, and Glaceau Smartwater were the first manufacturer-owned brands. The second owns Aqua Minerale and Aquafina.
The French company Danone Group also produces bottled water. It is sold under various trademarks, the most famous of which are Volvic and Evian. The Swiss corporation Nestlé S.A. owns several specialized brands: Poland Spring, Deer Park, Panna, Contrex, Vittel, San Pellegrino, and Perrier.
Many highly reputable bottled water producers are on the market. However, our list includes only 13 of the most popular brands that stand out for something unusual, such as history or unique freshwater sources. They are listed in no particular order. Most of them sell both carbonated and non-carbonated water.
Acqua Panna
Acqua Panna is an Italian brand owned by the Swiss company Nestlé. It sells artesian water, mineral water extracted from an artesian well. The source is located in a nature reserve in mountainous Tuscany, where densely forested hills rise high.
Untouched, ecologically clean nature is not the only reason Acqua Panna emerged. The brand began with the oligarchic Medici family, who vacationed at Villa Panna and hosted guests there. They were the first to notice the local water. In 1860, Marquis Torrigiani began bottling it in huge 54-liter bottles and selling it.
The artesian spring is characterized by low sodium content and a high concentration of sulfates and bicarbonates. Its water has a balanced flavor and is therefore suitable for cooking a variety of dishes.
Evian
The French company Evian is part of the multinational corporation Danone. It produces bottled water taken from several springs in the elite resort town of Evian-les-Bains.
Locals recognized the water’s value as early as 1789. But it didn’t become popular until the 1800s, when a Geneva entrepreneur bought the springs and founded the Société des Eaux Minérales d’Évian, which soon went bankrupt. In 1859, Parisian investors tried again to produce bottled water by creating the company Cachat Mineral Waters SA. It became the ancestor of the modern brand Evian.
The water’s uniqueness lies in its journey: it seeps through layers of underground rock, is purified and enriched with minerals, and then emerges from mountain springs. The natural filtration process takes about 15 years.
Ferrarelle Naturally Sparkling Mineral Water
Ferrarelle mineral water is naturally gassed underground, not in a factory, as it passes through the bowels of the extinct volcano Roccamonfina. It rises from underground as a fountain in the center of the Sorgenti di Riardo Park. The cold geyser is surrounded by groves of oak and olive trees that enhance the local ecology.
Ferrarelle itself was founded in 1893. However, Italians have been using this unique source for more than 10 centuries because the water has a pleasant, rich flavor. It contains a large number of minerals, including:
- fluoride;
- magnesium;
- potassium;
- calcium.
This water is much more balanced than carbonated water and tastes better than non-carbonated water. However, due to its high acidity, it is not suitable for everyone.
Fiji
This brand was previously called Natural Waters of Viti Ltd. But a few years after its founding, it was renamed in honor of the island country whose territory includes its factory. Interestingly, Fiji Water is registered in the US and headquartered in Los Angeles.
The clean, fresh water comes from an artesian well drilled on Viti Levu’s northern coast. It is bottled in plastic bottles and shipped overseas to more than 60 countries. Ironically, 12% of Fijians living near this production have no access to quality drinking water. Until 2018, that percentage was four times higher, but a company in Fiji set up a fund to provide free filters.
Fiji positions itself as a premium bottled water. Its benefits are:
- higher electrolyte content;
- mild flavor;
- original square bottle.
FJORD
Fjord Water was founded in 2014 through close cooperation between the international firm Gunderson Dettmer and the Norwegian government. It produces bottled water that meets high standards. To ensure this, the plant conducts hourly laboratory analyses to confirm product quality.
Fjord’s homeland is the picturesque Norwegian municipality of Fyresdal, known for its forests, mountains, and narrow sea bays. It is considered one of the world’s cleanest places, which keeps the local water healthy and safe. Thanks to its balanced composition and low mineralization, it is suitable for daily consumption.
Fjord is spring water from the Telemark spring, where the temperature never drops below 8 degrees Celsius. Consumers note its refreshing, slightly sweet taste and convenient bottle shape.
Gerolsteiner
German company Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG sells mineral water under the Gerolsteiner brand. It is named after the town of Gerolstein, where the first well was drilled in 1888, which started a major business. The local water became popular due to its high carbon dioxide content. Even Buckingham Palace drank it.
In the early years, the company sold bottled water only in Germany, but later began exporting it to Australia, the United States, and other countries. At the same time, the company had to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to align with current market trends.
Because of its balanced levels of bicarbonate, magnesium, and calcium, the water has a pleasant, fresh taste with nothing extra. However, it is very acidic: its pH is nearly the same as rainwater’s.
Hildon Natural Mineral Water
The British company Hildon does not just extract water and sell it; it also protects its source to keep the surrounding environment ecologically clean. The field lies in the Hampshire countryside, rich in flora and fauna. An ancient estate lies beneath it, where water is filtered through unique limestone layers deep underground. This removes all harmful impurities.
The company does not change the product’s chemical composition; it only slightly saturates it with carbon dioxide before bottling it in branded Bordeaux bottles. Hildon’s neutral acidity makes it ideal for wine and food tasting.
Icelandic Glacial
The Icelandic Glacial brand is owned by Icelandic Water Holdings, a company founded in 2004. It comes from Iceland, a unique place with a pristine ecosystem. There, the Ölfus spring lies deep underground, formed by a volcanic eruption. It is replenished by precipitation and snowmelt. The water filters through layers of solidified lava, enters an underground reservoir, and then flows into the ocean.
Iceland’s glacial water plant extracts this water by maintaining a special pressure that eliminates contact with the surrounding air. It is bottled directly from the source, without further purification or mineralization. This product has a pleasant taste and needs no treatment because it is naturally produced. The bottle’s sculptural, glacier-shaped neck emphasizes its crystal clarity and freshness.
Mountain Valley Spring Water
Mountain Valley Spring Water was born in the resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas. A protected spring with a unique mineral composition feeds it. This water became famous in 1871 when a local pharmacist began bottling it and selling it as Lockett’s Spring Water. He later rebranded the brand after a nearby small settlement.
Clinical trials have proven that this water helps with rheumatism and liver and kidney disease. No wonder it was favored by US presidents and other influential people, such as Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, and Elvis Presley.
Vichy Catalan
The Vichy Catalan brand is named after the thermal spring near the bottling plant. The cozy paradise in the Spanish municipality of Caldas de Malavella has been used for hydrotherapy since ancient times: archaeologists have found many fragments of Roman baths here.
In 1889, people began bottling water here. It appeared on pharmacy shelves and was sold as a remedy for hypertension and liver and stomach diseases. Over time, people began to drink it without a prescription.
In 1959, the plant was mechanized, which increased sales by 3.5 times. Its growing popularity also affected its physical and chemical properties. Its high carbonate and salt content, along with Vichy Catalan’s excellent taste, made the brand famous worldwide.
Volvic
The Volvic natural mineral water spring is located in the Chaîne des Puys-Limagne rift, where 80 volcanoes stretch in a long line. This area, with its unique landscape, results from a phenomenon that split the continents. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its most notable feature is the volcanic impluvium, a large groundwater deposit.
The first spring in this region of France appeared in the 1920s. By the end of the 1930s, it had become a business: people began buying bottled water extracted from the foot of dormant volcanoes. It naturally filters through solidified lava, picking up beneficial substances along the way.
Volvic water is low in minerals and can be consumed daily. It quenches thirst and contains sufficient sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
Voss
Despite the name, Voss still and carbonated water is bottled not in the municipality of Voss, but in Iveland. In the picturesque village of Vatnestrøm, an artesian well stands, a unique source among Norway’s glaciers.
The local water has a refreshing, light taste because it has low overall mineralization. This makes it suitable for daily consumption. At the same time, it contains sufficient magnesium and calcium to support key metabolic processes and is practically free of nitrates and fluoride.
The brand belongs to the American company Voss of Norway AS, so the products are focused on the United States, although they are sold in several dozen countries. You can recognize this water by its trademark cylindrical glass bottles (or, less often, plastic bottles).
WildAlp
WildAlp is a trademark of the Austrian company Wildalpen Wasserverwertungs GmbH, which has been selling water from the Hochschwab mountain range since 1999. This area, located in the Northern Limestone Alps, is rich in natural resources. One local treasure is the underground springs, which naturally filter the water as it passes through karst formations, purifying and oxygenating it.
WildAlp products suit both children and adults because they contain very few minerals. The low sodium content makes this water ideal for those on a salt-free diet. It quenches thirst, supports digestion, and helps maintain energy balance. Notably, the WildAlp Fullmoon line is a unique water bottle available only during the full moon.
FAQ
What are the benefits of water?
Our blood is at least 90% water; our brain is 75-80%; our muscles are 75%; and our bones are 25%. In other words, water is essential to the human body, and its absence can be fatal. It helps convert food into energy, transports oxygen, nutrients, antibodies, and hormones, and helps absorb vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. As a result, it indirectly supports the immune system.
In addition, water maintains organ shape and helps regulate body temperature. It also improves skin health, since youth and health depend on regeneration. When you’re dehydrated, cell renewal slows.
How much water should you drink per day?
It depends on the person’s weight and age. On average, adults drink 2-3 liters of water per day. However, health conditions may require restrictions. For example, if you have kidney stones or a tendency toward severe edema, you should drink less liquid.
How to choose the right water?
Bottled water from world brands varies in taste, composition, and even color because it is sourced from different places. Ideally, it should be:
- clean: free of substances that can cause health problems;
- balanced: drinking water should have the correct hardness, acidity, alkalinity, and salt content.
- natural: the best sources are springs, artesian wells, and cold geysers.
When buying bottled water, check the label, especially the composition and intended use. A highly mineralized product may not suit everyone because it is a medicinal product with its own indications and contraindications. Another significant factor is the shelf life. In plastic bottles, water can remain safe for up to 18 months; in glass containers, up to 2 years.