Mountain Valley Spring Water facts for kids
Mountain Valley Spring Water is a well-known American brand of spring water. It comes from a natural spring in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This water has been bottled and sold since 1871. Today, Primo Water owns the company. You can find Mountain Valley Spring Water all across the United States.
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History of Mountain Valley Water
The water for Mountain Valley comes from a special spring. This spring is located west of Highway 7 North, about twelve miles from downtown Hot Springs. In 1871, two brothers, Peter E. Greene and John Greene, first started selling this water. Back then, people called it “Lockett’s Spring Water.” This was because of Benjamin Lockett and his son, Enoch, who were connected to the spring.
The Greene brothers later changed the name to “Mountain Valley.” This name came from a small community nearby. In 1883, the Mountain Valley Water Company officially began. Peter Greene continued to manage things locally.
In 1902, a major investor named August Schlafly and his family took full ownership. By 1908, the company had opened offices in big cities. These included Chicago, Illinois, and New York City. This helped the water reach more people.
By the 1920s, Mountain Valley Water was even served in the United States Senate. In 1928, it became available in California. This made it the first bottled water sold from one coast to the other. In 1924, Schlafly bought another water company. Its building in Hot Springs became Mountain Valley Water Company's main office and visitor center in 1936.
In 1966, the Schlafly family sold the company. A group of distributors led by James G. Scott bought it. The main office moved to Paramus, New Jersey. But in 1987, a company from Dallas, Texas, bought it. They moved the main operations back to Hot Springs. In 2018, DS Services, part of Cott Corporation, bought the company for $78.5 million.
Awards and Recognition
Mountain Valley is known as America's most-awarded spring water. Since 1991, it has won 19 honors from the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting event. This event judges different bottled waters.
Here are some of the awards Mountain Valley has won:
- 1997: 1st place (tied) for Bottled Non-Carbonated Mountain Valley Spring Water.
- 2003: Gold Medal for Bottled Non-Carbonated Water.
- 2008: 5th Place for People's Choice Package Design for its Vintage Glass bottle.
- 2011: Silver Medal for Carbonated Bottled Water.
- 2019: 1st place for Best Flavored Essence Sparkling – Mountain Valley Blackberry Pomegranate Sparkling Water.
- 2019: 1st place for Best Sparkling – Mountain Valley Spring Water Sparkling.
Famous People Who Enjoy Mountain Valley Water
Many notable people have enjoyed Mountain Valley Spring and Sparkling Waters.
- It is the official bottled water for the Southern Foodways Alliance.
- Every United States President from Calvin Coolidge to Bill Clinton served this water in the White House.
- After a heart attack in 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower drank the water. His doctor suggested it.
- Other famous people who enjoyed it include Elvis Presley.
- Even famous racehorses like Secretariat were trained using this spring water.
Environmental Concerns About Bottled Water
Bottled water can have an impact on the environment. This is because of the plastic bottles and the energy used to produce and transport them. Some states are now trying to reduce this impact. For example, states like New York, California, and Massachusetts have rules. They do not allow state money to be used to buy bottled water for state events. This encourages people to use tap water instead.
