The Brand – Spadel

From deep below the Belgian soil, the natural mineral water of Spa has been quenching thirsts since Roman times

It might have escaped the less observant among us, but Belgium really likes to drink water from a bottle. According to research by the European Federation of Bottled Water, the average Belgian drank about 121 litres of bottled water in 2010, making them the fourth biggest consumers in the EU. The Dutch and the English, in comparison, seem to find bottled water an unnecessary expense, and average a mere 22 and 24 litres per head respectively.

While you could argue that most businesses draw something from their origins, Spa water’s ties to Belgian culture seem particularly salient. It’s a market leader in a country that eagerly drinks its offered product. The Spadel group, which manages the brand among others, is not only Belgian but is also one of the last independent, family-owned bottled water companies in Europe – 92 percent of its shares are owned by the Dubois family.

“Belgians like bottled water because they have good water brands,” according to Jean-Benoît Schrans, Spadel’s communications director. The wealth of natural, high-quality sources in Belgium means that, unlike in many other countries, bottled water here is not simply filtered tap water. “There is more added value to the product,” Schrans says.

The source of Spa water, Spadel’s largest brand, is in western Wallonia. It flows under a protected area of 13,177 hectares near the cities of Spa and Liège. Despite Spadel’s strong Belgian roots, the exploitation of the Spa source predates the Spa brand and even Belgium itself. It was first discovered by the Romans, who were seeking a water source to further their conquests. Legend has it that they named the region after the noise of the sparkling, bubbling water flowing under the soil.

Valued for its allegedly healing properties, water from Spa began to be bottled and sold in 1583. The mineral water springs also attracted those seeking therapeutic baths, leading to ‘spa’ becoming a general term for facilities dedicated to thermalism. Water collected in Spa was commercialised by several companies until the early 20th century, when Spa Monopole secured the exclusive exploitation rights that it retains to this day. The Monopole was mostly bought up by the Dubois family in 1921 and has now grown into the larger European group Spadel, which also manages other brands.

As a business, Spadel is exclusively interested in collecting and commercialising natural mineral water. For water to be recognised as such by the public health authorities in Belgium, it must meet various requirements: it can’t go through any chemical or microbiological treatments, and there can be no human contact with the product from source to bottle. The composition of the water must remain stable and be clearly outlined in the packaging. As far as Spadel is concerned, there is far more to this clear liquid than meets the eye. “The specific label ‘natural mineral water’ is awarded by the Ministry of Health and signifies that the product meets more than 50 criteria,” explains Ann Vandenhende, director of corporate social responsibility.

Since natural mineral water is filtered by nature, it is essentially a product of the Belgian soil. The whole process, in the case of Spa Reine – Spadel’s still water collected at Spa – takes place over a period of about five years, from rain entering the springs to the water finally being bottled. The defining property of Reine is its purity, as it contains very few minerals. The water was named after Leopold II’s wife, Marie Henriette, who lived in Spa. The name of Spa Marie Henriette, a lightly carbonated water, is also a homage to the Queen, and is the product of a 50-year process that takes place up to 600 metres under the Ardennes. Spa Barisart is a more intensely carbonated version of Spa Reine – the carbon is added at the Spa bottling facility – and the latest addition to the Spa product line is Spa Fruit: natural mineral water with a drop of fruit juice added. It’s particularly successful in the Netherlands.

Because of Spadel’s exclusive focus on marketing natural mineral water, the involvement of the Spa brand with its source must necessarily go deeper than simply collecting the product. The task of bottling water obtained at the springs of Spa cannot be outsourced – not only for the obvious geographic reasons, but also due to legal restrictions that require natural mineral water to be bottled at its source. “Our jobs can’t be done elsewhere,” says Schrans. “Because it is a brand of natural mineral water, Spa must stay local.”

Both Schrans and Vandenhende emphasise Spadel’s close relationship with the source of its product, in not only its exploitation but its preservation, too. “One of our pillars at Spadel is ‘nature’s best, close to you’. This relates to our protection of resources and biodiversity,” says Vandenhende. The point is similarly stressed by Schrans, who says, “We remain close to our consumer, and we are passionate about protecting our sources.” The source is in a protected area of about 13,177 hectares, created in 1889 and since expanded. While open to the public, the protected zone is strictly off limits to industry and agriculture.

Whether bottled water can be truly sustainable when compared to tap water remains a contentious issue. Bottled water has been the target of significant boycott initiatives internationally, denounced as an unnecessary, wasteful alternative to tap water. Vandenhende considers the two to be distinct products. “The comparison is not appropriate,” she says. “We are talking about two different products with two different legislative frameworks, but which are complementary.”

Schrans shares her thinking. “Tap water is perfectly good, but the consumer needs to be able to choose.” The strict controls imposed on natural mineral water are a useful tool for consumers who want to know what they are drinking, he says. “There is no technological solution yet to remove all the impurities that can be found in tap water.”

Spadel has put demonstrable effort into addressing the issue of waste produced by packaging. “The end of life of our products has always been a key issue for Spadel,” says Vandenhende. The brand was a founding partner of private recycling initiative FostPlus, which collects and recycles about 75 percent of all PET (a kind of plastic) used in Belgium, and each bottle of Spa is made of about 50 percent recycled PET. The size of Spa Reine’s bottles has been reduced by 50 percent since 1971, and the labels are printed with vegetable ink on recycled paper. Spadel also keeps a close eye on its carbon footprint and energy expenditure, areas in which recycling can be a hazard. “We have evaluated that it is more beneficial to recycle the bottles than to not recycle them,” Vandenhende says. “For example, in 2010, we contributed to the reduction of 10,204 tonnes of carbon dioxide through the recycling of our bottles.”

But do those measures allow bottled water to fully compensate for the added energy expenditure and carbon footprint of its packaging and recycling? Vandenhende does not overstate her case, but remains optimistic. “Are we there yet? Certainly not. We will continue to work on reducing our packaging through diminishing the weight of our bottles and doing research on sustainable plastic material,” she says. “For economic and ecological reasons, we also minimise transport,” adds Schrans, who believes in keeping it local. “I am always frustrated when they bring me foreign brands in Belgian restaurants. I think it is important to eat and consume locally. Belgians are not proud of what they have.”

While Spa water remains its biggest brand, Spadel also markets BRU, another natural mineral water, in Belgium. BRU is said to be especially suited to complementing meals and wine, Schrans explains. “It contains exactly 20 milligrams each of calcium and magnesium, which is recognised by the most famous gastronomic and wine associations in Belgium to be the best balance to accompany and improve the taste of food.” Aside from its local Belgian portfolio, Spadel also owns a few brands abroad, such as the Welsh Brecon Carreg and the Alsatian Wattwiller. “We are an ambitious group,” admits Schrans.

Even as the group expands, Spadel remains steadfastly attached to its business model: naturally treated water distributed to a limited market, closer to the water source. “We are simply not interested in another business model,” maintains Schrans. “We consider ourselves experts in protecting sources of natural mineral water.”

IN THE KNOW

1912

Compagnie Fermière des Eaux et des Bains de Spa is founded, retaining exclusive rights to Spa water

1921

Renamed Spa Monopole

1980

International Group Spadel is created to manage Spa and other brands

PRODUCTS

Spa, Brecon Carreg, BRU and Wattwiller

IN FIGURES

520 million litres of water sold in 2010, with a total turnover of €196.5 million

http://spadel.com