Naturally Flavoured Carbonated Spring Water

Challenge

As a mum with young children, Spring & Grove founder Karen Foelz became concerned with the dominance of high sugar drinks in the Australian marketplace, despite a growing demand for low sugar alternatives. After researching other markets including the USA and Europe, Karen discovered there was significant growth in popularity for flavoured sparkling water. Similar products were not available in the Australian market.

Despite having no experience in the beverage industry, Karen was determined to introduce a healthier choice to Australian consumers, and so Spring & Grove was born. Starting in the kitchen she added fresh fruit to infuse flavour in the carbonated water she made with her Soda Stream. After receiving positive feedback from friends, Karen’s biggest challenge was to produce these recipes on a commercial scale.

Solution

Karen sought advice from industry professionals who introduced her to a food and beverage technologist. Over six months they worked on different flavour combinations, settling on six to take to production. The next challenge was to maintain the fresh flavour of the blended fruit extracts without using preservatives.

Groundwaters, such as spring water, can naturally contain pathogenic microorganisms. However, heat treatment of flavoured spring water can damage the subtle flavours of the fruit extracts. Collaborating with a spring water supplier, a solution was found that utilises cold sterilisation to guarantee the water quality and safety and ensure the stability of the product for ambient storage. After much searching Karen found a contract manufacturer who was prepared to bottle a minimum of 1,000 litres per flavour for Spring & Grove’s first production run. The six unique flavours include Coconut & Raspberry and Cucumber & Lime. 

Outcome

Launching in early 2017 Spring & Grove is Australia’s first naturally flavoured carbonated spring water with no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives, sugar or other sweeteners.