Tapping into the lucrative world of fine water

Australian producers are making waves in the growing global fine-water market, with one South Australian couple turning their underground aquifer into a premium bottled water brand.

Damien Smith and his wife Gretchen Scinta became interested in the aquifer after buying their property in 2008. "The tip for us was [the] freshwater crayfish down in the back paddock, but you're so close to the ocean, so you're starting to go, what's going on here?" Mr Smith said.

A 'unicorn' find

A water engineer told them the water was special, saying "This is a unicorn." He attributed its quality to the balance of minerals and its pristine condition due to its isolated location.

The couple recently launched their mineral water, joining a growing global market that challenges the idea that water is a commodity. Food anthropologist Michael Mascha, who co-founded the Fine Water Society, is driving this movement. "I looked around the table, and there was another bottle there, which was water," he said. "I applied all my curiosity I had for wine; I applied that to bottled water."

A growing market

Dr Mascha said premium water was now being taken more seriously, with Australia playing an increasingly important part in this evolution. "Australia is definitely a brand that started very early … then there was a little bit of a lull, but I see now Australia is a country that's really up and coming."

The source of the water is crucial, with Mr Smith and Ms Scinta accessing their water from an aquifer in the Carribie Basin through a sealed extraction point. To be called mineral water, it must naturally contain soluble matter.

Protecting the mineral make-up

The couple protects the mineral make-up by moving the water through food-grade pipes underground into holding tanks. "The important thing here is, limit oxygen, limit light, and limit changes in temperature … so we do literally do nothing," Mr Smith said.

A market under scrutiny

The premium bottled water industry is growing, but so is scrutiny over how it's sourced and processed. Mr Smith said consumers are wary about where things come from and how things are managed. "So, rightly consumers are very, very wary about where things come from and how things are managed."

Despite this, the thirst for premium water remains strong, with an international fine-water-tasting event in Canada attracting more than 100 entries. Yorke Peninsula's Carribie still water scored a perfect 100 points from one of the judges and its sparkling water scored 99.

Local water gains ground

The event showed Mr Smith that water was being taken as seriously as wine. "Going to Montreal in May was a real eye-opener in terms of how intricately people were analysing all the different waters and, I guess, how far they were looking at it in terms of food and wine matching as well," he said.

Locally, the water is gaining ground, with Adelaide's 2KW restaurant serving Carribie water for $10 a bottle. Sommelier Dan McEvoy said, "I've seen other water brands go a lot higher than that, and they're coming from Italy, they're coming from France."