Promineral SA facts for kids

Promineral S.A. is a company from Portugal. It is owned by another Portuguese company called Renova SA.

Promineral's main job is to get and bottle natural mineral water. This water comes from the quiet Furnas volcano on São Miguel. This island is part of the Azores archipelago. The company bottles both still (non-bubbly) and sparkling water (bubbly).

About 10 people work for Promineral. The company also has a support and decision center in mainland Portugal. Even though the idea of bottling water from this area started around 1890, Promineral S.A. as we know it today began in 1999. This was after Renova SA bought the company.

The Story of Promineral

Early Days of Bottling

Bottling natural sparkling water in Serra do Trigo, Furnas, started in the late 1800s. The Machado family first founded and grew this business. The special qualities of these waters helped them win many awards.

Between 1895 and 1932, the water won five gold medals. It also earned one silver medal and two 'grand prix' awards. These prizes came from Europe and the Americas.

A Break and a New Start

The bottling of these waters stopped for a while. This break lasted from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. The business started up again in 1990. It had new owners, money, and investments.

In June 1990, a new filling line was opened. This line could fill 2,000 bottles every hour. A second important step happened in November 1994. The company bought the Gloria Patri spring, which provides still water.

Becoming Promineral S.A.

In October 1995, a new product was launched. This was a flavored sparkling water called Pedras do Galego. More money was raised in 1995. This changed the company into a "Sociedade Anónima" (S.A.), which means it became a public limited company. This is how Promineral S.A. was formed.

The first full year of business for Promineral S.A. was 1996. They sold over 2.5 million liters of water. Most of this water was sold in the Azores. At that time, this meant they had 56% of the water market in the Azores.

However, the company faced some problems. These issues led to production stopping. In 1999, the company was sold to Renova SA.

Renova's Investment

Renova SA is a well-known Portuguese company. It makes tissue paper products. Renova is a top brand in Portugal. It also has a strong presence in Spain, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the Baltic countries. By 2017, Renova exported its products to over 65 countries.

After buying Promineral, Renova made many new investments. They improved buildings, bought new machines, and hired more skilled staff. This helped the company meet all the quality rules from Portugal and the European Union. For example, a special lab for checking tiny organisms was set up in 2001.

In 2004, more investments were made. These helped increase the amount of water from the Gloria Patri spring. The spring could now produce 30 cubic meters of water per hour, up from 6. Over the years, many more investments have been made. These help increase how much water the factory can produce. They also help keep the water from the springs very high quality.

Today, the factory can produce 10 million liters of water each year. After 2010, even more investments were made. These were to make the whole operation better. They also helped improve the branding of the water. The goal is to create a global business. This business would include several brands of unique natural mineral waters, both still and sparkling.