Poland Spring
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Poland Spring is a brand of bottled water manufactured by a subsidiary of Nestlé, but originally founded in 1845. Contrary to popular belief, Poland Spring water does not all come from the town of Poland, Maine. Poland Spring water is derived from multiple sources in the state of Maine, including Poland Spring in Poland, Maine, Clear Spring in Hollis, Evergreen Spring in Fryeburg, Maine, Spruce Spring in Pierce Pond Township, Maine, Garden Spring in Poland, Maine and White Cedar Spring in Dallas Plantation, Maine.
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[edit] Origins
The brand has its origins late nineteenth century. Jabez Rickar had bought land in 1794 and two days later travellers knocked on the door asking for breakfast. Repeated requests by other travelers led him to open an inn known as the Mansion House in 1796. In 1844, Jabez's grandson drank a lot of the spring water and became convinced that it had cured him of chronic dyspepsia. 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 Ricker's soon began bottling the water. The inn grew into a significant resort in the early twentieth century, but has subsequently gone out of business, while the bottled water business still thrives. [1]
[edit] Water sales
In 1901 Maine's Bureau of Industrial and Labor Statistics listed eighty-one 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, 20, and 24 oz bottles; 500 mL, 1L, and 1.5L bottles, but also carries larger 5 gallon bottles usable in office or in home water dispensers. Smaller 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 less popular varieties of Poland Spring include sparkling, lemon, lime, and distilled. All Poland Spring products are sold in plastic bottles, for both safety and economical reasons.
In the Summer of 2005, Poland Spring changed the color of its 1 gallon bottle cap from dark green to clear and removed the safety seal in favor of a stronger twist off mechanism. The reason for the color change was to reduce the risk of taste complaints while saving money on materials.
In 2006, Aquapod was released in this brand.
[edit] Controversy
Several towns in Maine have objected to the business practices of Poland Spring and its parent company Nestlé. In some towns, such as Fryeburg, Maine, Poland Spring actually buys the water from another company, the Fryeburg Water Co. and ships it to the Poland Spring bottling plant in Poland Spring. However, Fryeburg Water Co. also sells water to the town of Fryeburg.
Recently, the town of Fryeburg began to question the amount of water the company was selling to Poland Spring. The group H₂O for ME wants to create a tax on water drawn for commercial purposes, however, Poland Spring said the tax would force the company into bankruptcy.[citation needed]
