When Coca-Cola recently announced it was ceasing production of Malvern Water due to its inability to compete with larger, rival factories, some may have thought that was the end of the line for the commercial bottling of this historic beverage. However in the age old tradition of David and Goliath, family-run business The Holywell Water Company is proving that it is quality, not quantity, which justifies Malvern water's place on fine dining tables across the nation.

The Holy Well Spring is the original source of Malvern Water and the site of the first water bottling works in England, which began production in 1622. Schweppes moved production of Malvern Water over the hill to Colwall in 1892 and after various attempts to revive it, the original bottling works fell into a state of neglect until current owners, the Humm family, decided to reinstate a bottling operation and run it as a commercial venture.

Since first launching in July 2009, sales of Holywell Spring Water have increased from a trickle to a veritable torrent and have far exceeded the expectations of owner and director Rhys Humm. He elaborates, "2010 was a fantastic year for us and saw some great successes including securing a supply contract with Purnell's in Birmingham and watering the taste buds of the X-Factor finalists as the official spring water supplier to the finalists' house. 2011 looks set to become even better with turnover to date on track to exceed last years' turnover already and we're not even half-way into the year!"

Sales in February 2011 alone increased by 400% on the same month last year - with each month increasing by an average of 320% when compared with the same month in 2010.

Demand for Holywell Spring Water has led to the company employing another technical operator in its bottling works to keep up with current orders. Having worked at Malvern Water for 22 years, Anthony Mitchell was made redundant when Coca-Cola announced its closure at the end of 2010. 

Rhys continues, "Holywell has enjoyed a fabulous response from local hoteliers and restaurant owners and we're starting to make inroads into the London scene as well as strengthening our presence in Birmingham. Claude Bosi, is the latest Michelin-starred chef to discover Holywell Spring Water - now available at The Fox and Grapes in Wimbledon. It certainly is enormously exciting times for everyone involved with Holywell as the company goes from strength to strength."