Sant'Anna,
to the source.
The origins of the water
“In every walk with nature man receives far more than he seeks.” (John Muir)
It was in the 1990’s when Giuseppe Bertone and his sons first surveyed the valleys that overlook Vinadio. Large, open spaces and plateaus framed by the majestic Maritime Alps: an authentic and uncontaminated environment surrounded only by nature. From here a mineral water, endowed with intrinsic qualities, due exclusively to its origins, sprang forth: the altitude of the springs, the purity of the air, the formation of the granite rocks that naturally filter the water.
"Keepers of the spring"
The story of a dream as pure as water, the legend of a transparent business.
Every page is a flowing sequence of emotions, memories, and intuitions. The reading is experienced as a walk, side by side with entrepreneur Alberto Bertone, along the mountain path that leads to source of Acqua Sant’Anna’s success. “The Keepers of the spring: the Sant’Anna water adventure” thus becomes the first BOOK of a series bearing the “Rubbettino” signature: an account of the most fascinating histories of the top Italian companies.
Sant'Anna, the mother of the name
The first historical documentation praising the superior quality of the mineral water springs of Vinadio, one of the most beautiful mountain areas in Italy, dates back to the year 1500. The notoriety of this water’s goodness has also been diffused thanks to the pilgrims’ accounts: every year millions of people slowly hike more than 2000 metres to reach the Sanctuary of Sant’Anna, the highest Christian place of worship in Europe. The ritual is to quench one’s thirst from the spring at the sanctuary dedicated to Sant’Anna, the protector of mothers.
The birth of Sant'Anna water
After conducting tests and analyses that confirm over time the unique properties and the special mineral balance of this water with its low mineral content, the Bertone family falls in love with a nearly impossible dream: protect and bring Vinadio Water respectfully to the tables of all Italians, children, adults, families and mums. In 1996 the Fonti di Vinadio company and its main brand, Sant’Anna Water, were established. Today Sant’Anna Water, with its low mineral content, is esteemed and drunk worldwide.
The origins of the colours of Sant'Anna's world
The water and the Alps that surround Vinadio are the origins and also the inspiration for the colours and the Sant’Anna institutional world. Imagine being up there, where the purity of Sant’Anna Water has its source. Look up. The BLUE of a seemingly unreal, cloudless sky that you can only find in the mountains is dazzling. It is a clear and intense BLUE that meets the absolute brilliant white of the perennially snow-covered mountain tops. Breathe and lose yourself in the shades of green turned on by nature. Everything is enriched by the transparence and the numerous reflections of light on the water. These are the colours and the emotions found in the world of Sant’Anna Water: the good water that, in one sip, takes you from zero to 1950 metres and even higher, above the clouds.
The first bottle.
June 18th 1996.
The newborn facility was the stage of an unparalleled emotion: the first bottle of Sant’Anna mineral water exiting the production line. From that moment onwards, that water once restricted to the few who challenged the eminent mountains would reach the tables of all Italians. “To this day, every time I can, I walk to the Sant’Anna spring. I sit by the waterfall, I drink, and admire the view in silence. I think back on the incredible history, imbued with dreams and struggle, that has made Sant’Anna the company it is today. And looking at the horizon, I imagine what it’ll be like in the future.” A.B.
