Poland Spring facts for kids
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| Market | Northeastern United States |
|---|---|
| Produced by | BlueTriton Brands |
| Introduced | 1870 |
| Tagline | "Born Better" |
| Type | Still |
| pH | 5.4–7.3 |
| Bromine (Br) | 0–0.014 |
| Calcium (Ca) | 3.7–12 |
| Chloride (Cl) | 0–14 |
| Fluoride (F) | 0–0.25 |
| Magnesium (Mg) | 0.67–1.6 |
| Nitrate (NO3) | 0 |
| Potassium (K) | 0 |
| Sodium (Na) | 1.6–9.1 |
| Sulfate (SO4) | 0–8.1 |
| TDS | 0–74 |
| All concentrations in milligrams per liter (mg/L); pH without units | |
Poland Spring is a brand of bottled water, produced in Poland, Maine. It is named after the original natural spring in the town of Poland, Maine it was drawn from. Today it is a subsidiary of BlueTriton Brands, formerly Nestlé Waters North America, and sold in the United States. The spring was first exploited commercially in 1859 by Hiram W. Ricker, owner of a nearby inn. Contemporary demand is so great the brand's water is derived from multiple sources in the state of Maine including Poland Spring and Garden Spring in Poland, Maine, Clear Spring in Hollis, Evergreen Spring in Fryeburg, Spruce Spring in Pierce Pond Township, White Cedar Spring in Dallas Plantation, and Bradbury Spring in Kingfield, and Cold Springs in Denmark.
Poland Spring was the top-selling spring water brand in America in 2006. In 2007, the Poland Spring brand adopted a bottle using 30% less plastic, as did the other Nestlé Waters North America brands.
History
The spring dates back to the late 18th century. In 1797, The Wentworth Ricker Inn opened at the homestead of Jabez Ricker. In 1844, Jabez's grandson, Hiram W. Ricker claimed that spring water from the property cured him of chronic dyspepsia. In 1861, the inn was enlarged and renamed The Mansion House. The inn had grown to a resort, and his discussions with guests led them to also praise the drinking water. In this period, it was quite fashionable to "take the waters" for almost all illnesses, causing an uptick in business. The Rickers soon began bottling the water. Expanded again into an extravagant resort that locals dubbed "Ricker's Folly", the inn was renamed the Poland Spring House and opened On July 4, 1876. The inn remained a significant resort into the early 20th century, but the Ricker family lost control of the company during the 1930s. A resort still operates on the site.
Poland Springs operated independently since its inception until it was purchased by the Perrier Water Company in 1980. In 1992 Nestle acquired Poland Springs when it took over the Perrier company. In March 2021, Nestle completed a $4.3 billion deal selling its North American bottled water brands, including Poland Spring, to two private-equity firms.
Water sales
In 1891 Maine's Bureau of Industrial and Labor Statistics listed 81 existing mineral springs. Twenty-three were used for commercial bottling, with total sales of $400,000; $200,000 of these sales were by Poland Spring.
Today Poland Spring sells the majority of its water in portable 8, 12, and 20 oz bottles; 500 ml, 700 ml, 1 L, and 1.5 L bottles, and also larger 5 gallon bottles usable in office or in home water dispensers. Smaller 3 L, 1 gallon and 2.5 gallon bottles are also available for sale in most supermarkets, and for home delivery in the Northeastern United States. Other varieties of Poland Spring include sparkling, lemon, lime, and distilled. They are also the producers of the Aquapod line of products.
All Poland Spring products are sold in plastic bottles, for both safety and economic reasons. Today, no portable Poland Spring bottles are made from the number "7" polycarbonate plastic that contains Bisphenol-A (BPA). The large 5-gallon bottles are made of number "1" plastic and are also BPA-free, while the 3-gallon bottles are made of number "7" plastic and may contain trace levels of BPA. Bottles made of PETE, which do not contain BPA (number "1" or "2" or "4" on bottom), started to appear in 2013; in some areas one may have only these bottles. They can be recognized by the different handle design (separate piece of plastic rather than a continuous molded element).
In the summer of 2005, Poland Spring changed the color of its 1-gallon bottle cap from dark green to clear. The reason for the color change was to remove the dye from the cap, which is more suitable for the recycling stream. Poland Spring later changed to a lighter bottle called the Eco-Shape which uses 30 percent less plastic. The new style made its debút in November 2007.
