Australian couple found pristine aquifer; now sells its water for $10 a bottle
A couple in South Australia discovered a pristine, naturally mineralized aquifer on their property after noticing freshwater crayfish in their paddock. They have since launched a premium bottled water brand, Carribie Mineral Water, which is now sold in high-end establishments.
Why it matters
It highlights the emergence of niche, high-value natural resource markets and the potential for accidental discovery in rural land management.
Damien Smith, a passionate South Australian surfer, and his wife, Gretchen Scinta, moved to the western coast of Yorke Peninsula to catch the waves. What they really caught was something even more precious: fresh water that’s worth bottling. Soon, the land turned them into fine-water producers, with their bottled water earning a perfect 100-point score, ABC News reported.The couple bought the Yorke Peninsula property in 2008, and a few years later, they noticed something extraordinary. They noticed crayfish thriving in the back paddock. This was strange given that crayfish are freshwater dwellers, and the land they bought is surrounded by ocean. They consulted an engineer and discovered that their land was a geological anomaly. They were sitting on an isolated underground aquifer so pristine that it barely needed extraction or processing. The water had never been touched by contamination. It's naturally mineralised.
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