Gerolsteiner Brunnen facts for kids
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| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Source | Gerolstein |
| Type | Sparkling, still |
| pH | 5.9 to 6.0 |
| Bromine (Br) | 0.12 |
| Calcium (Ca) | 348 |
| Chloride (Cl) | 39.7 |
| Bicarbonate (HCO3) | 1816 |
| Fluoride (F) | 0.21 |
| Lithium (Li) | 0.13 |
| Manganese (Mn) | 0.39 |
| Magnesium (Mg) | 108 |
| Nitrate (NO3) | 5.1 |
| Potassium (K) | 10.8 |
| Silica (SiO2) | 40.2 |
| Sodium (Na) | 118 |
| Strontium (Sr) | 2.9 |
| Sulfate (SO4) | 38.3 |
| TDS | 2488 |
| Website | gerolsteiner.de |
| All concentrations in milligrams per liter (mg/L); pH without units | |
Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG, often called Gerolsteiner, is a major German company that sells mineral water. Its main office is in Gerolstein, a town in the Eifel mountains. The company is famous for its Gerolsteiner Sprudel brand. This is a naturally carbonated (fizzy) mineral water that comes in bottles. Gerolsteiner also used to be the main sponsor of a cycling team called Team Gerolsteiner.
Contents
History of Gerolsteiner Water
How the Company Started
On January 1, 1888, a man named Wilhelm Castendyck started the Gerolsteiner Sprudel company. He set it up as a type of company called a GmbH in Gerolstein. In the same year, the company drilled its first well to get water.
By November 1888, the water from this well became very popular. People liked it because it had a lot of natural carbonic acid, which makes it fizzy. In 1889, Gerolsteiner got a special symbol for its brand. This symbol was a star and a lion.
Growing Around the World
By 1895, Gerolsteiner water was being sent all the way to Australia. It even supplied water to Buckingham Palace in England when Queen Victoria was in charge.
The first time Gerolsteiner was sent to the United States was in 1890. Most of it went to Chicago, where many German people had moved. Shipping to the U.S. stopped during World War I. However, it started again in 1928.
Rebuilding After War
During Christmas in 1944, the Gerolsteiner factory was completely destroyed. This happened during a bombing raid. But the company worked hard to rebuild. By 1948, the entire building and its equipment were fixed.
New Bottles and Flavors
In 1986, Gerolsteiner started selling a new type of water. This water had less fizz (carbonic acid) to match what people wanted.
In 1998, the company was the first in Germany to use PET plastic bottles for mineral water. These bottles were part of a system where you pay a small extra fee (a deposit). You get this money back when you return the empty bottle. Some environmental groups were not happy about this at first. This was because glass bottles that could be returned had been common in Germany for a long time.
As of 2022, the main owner of Gerolsteiner Brunnen is a company called Bitburger Holding.
See also
In Spanish: Gerolsteiner Brunnen para niños
