Galway Advertiser 2004/2004_06_10/GA_1006_E1_011.pdf 

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June 10 2004

Galway Advertiser

N E W S 11

Galway - home to 14 tribes but only one natural spring water
Clada Mineral Water Co Ltd opened on Friday 13 1962 at its original premises on Waterlane, Bothermore. Unlucky for some, the Friday 13 opening proved very lucky for brothers Michael, Tom, and Paul Owens from Menlough, Ballinasloe, who established the company. At the time there were five other bottling companies in Galway city, but today Clada Mineral Water Co Ltd is the sole bottling company in the west of Ireland. A move to the 90,000sqft production and distribution facility on the Headford Road in the mid 70s where the company is currently based also proved lucky - there are four springs naturally occurring on the site and given the limestone nature of the locality, all wells sunk produce a spring water with a refreshingly high calcium content. The success of the Galway Irish Spring Water range is that it bottles a pure natural water from source in one of the finest natural locations in Ireland totally protected from industry and intensive farming.

Development and investment
Down the years, Clada Mineral Water Co Ltd has continuously adapted to suit customer requirements. The introduction of draught water for office use, sports cap for convenience, and five litre bottles for home use are just some of the developments introduced to suit customers needs. The company uses a rigorous Quality Management System to assure best production practices. QMS i n c o r p o r a t e s comprehensive and best practice procedures covering HACCP, GMP, new product development, and most significantly, the BRC Global Food standard which operates throughout the plant. Under the guidance of production director Kevin Owens, and quality manager Manus Duggan, the company has completed the first phase of investment at a cost of 1.5million in a state-ofthe-art production line to create one of the most modern production plants in Ireland.

Not all water is the same
It is a much contested issue - but no, not all water is the same. For a water to be described as spring water it must be collected at the spring source or through a borehole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. This is the case with Galway Irish Spring Water, and in fact Clada permits very little treatment of this natural resource. High calcium, magnesium, and b i c a r b o n a t e concentrations mean that Galway Irish Spring Water is a hard water one afforded a high TDS number. TDS measures the content and level of naturally occurring salts and minerals in the water. Because the taste of every bottle is determined by the unique combination of these elements, the TDS number can be seen as a good indicator of taste. Galway Irish Spring Water has a TDS number level of 330.2mg/litre, while purified waters often have a TDS of less than 10mg/litre giving it a dull, lifeless taste. "While purified or distilled waters may be suitable for car batteries, spring waters are better for people," says Mr Kevin Owens. "Many people understand water to be the lifeless chemical composition H20. We at Galway Irish Spring Water view this as incorrect because we firmly believe that water is a living energy." The mineral content in the water is also very

Galway Water production staff (from left to right) Micheal Garvey, Gabriel Moran, Manus Duggan, Kevin Fabianich, Noel Burke, Donal Cheshire and James Dunne.

important as quality manager Mr Manus Duggan explains; " In addition to being hydrated, it is essential for the human body to maintain correct mineral levels. Minerals may only represent three per cent of our daily nutrient intake but they are absolutely vital for our bodily functions." Calcium is needed to keep bones and teeth strong and healthy, and it also helps keep the circulatory, muscular, and nervous systems running normally. It is particularly important during the last two trimesters of pregnancy and breastfeeding when calcium requirements are at their highest. In addition to calcium, Galway Irish Spring Water also contains

magnesium, an essential mineral for every major biological process, as well as in the prevention of heart disease, and

sodium, potassium, and chloride which form part of the blood, lymph, and intercellular fluids. So when you drink a

bottle of Galway Irish Spring Water, you are doing more than just quenching your thrist!

Galway Water Mineral Company. Photo:-Mike Shaughnessy

Celebration in order
Galway Irish Spring Water is currently celebrating being awarded the BRC Global Standard (Food) Higher Level, a prestigious European quality standard, for the second year running. It was the first Irish bottled water company to achieve the BRC Higher Level standard 2003, a standard which is utilised by a global companies supplying retail branded food products. The major business benefit of the BRC Global Standards is that it assures customers that any supplier with BRC certification is a company that has reached the highest quality standards. The BRC standard requires the adoption and implementation of HACCP, a documented, quality management system, and the continuous control of factory environment standards, products, processes, and personnel and so facilitates accreditation against the European standard EN45011. Director of Clada Mineral Water Company, Ursula Owens, is delighted the hard work and dedication of the production staff has paid off. "It requires pride, devotion, and rigorous attention to detail in every aspect of the business," she says. The company previously held the Irish QMark quality standard for many years, but with Ireland's continued integration into Europe, it was felt a European standard was necessary. "European identity has become very important to us. With so many European visitors it is important that they can see a recognisable product standard and appreciate that Galway Irish Spring Water is of the highest quality," says Ms Owens. Galway Irish Spring Water is available in 250ml sports cap, 500ml still and sparkling, 1ltr sports cap still, 2 ltr still and sparkling, 5ltr still, and 500ml regular sap still. It is also available in a number of varieties for pub use, and in 19ltr draught form for office use.