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An Aqua Amore journey to Caldes de Malavella

Posted on by Michael
01
Aug

We have been thrilled that so many of you have been invigorated by Zac Efron’s Netflix show Down to Earth with Zac Effron Episode 2 and reached out to us to try many of our unique mineral waters. Please join us on a leisurely ten minute read whilst we guide you through our own visit to the source of a natural mineral water.

There has been a lot of recent interest in Vichy Catalan, the distinctive and beguiling water that emerges from the ancient Roman spa of Caldes de Malavella in Catalunya. This town, just South of Girona, is the source of at least three thermal water sources – one of which is supplied a Roman spa which now remains as a disused relic and is open to visitors. Another is the eponymous Malavella, a natural mineral water in a distinctive pear drop bottle which possesses a remarkably similar mineral content to Vichy Catalan – though is imbued with less CO2 hence, small bubbles.

The centrepiece of this sun drenched town, however, is the Balnearia Vichy Catalan; this is the heart of the source of Vichy Catalan, a bottling plant and a hotel/spa. Christopher and I took the time to visit in May 2018, which was very exciting for us, as Aqua Amore has been a reliable source for many UK (and European!) based afficionados of this evocative brand for over a decade and for us, it has always carried a certain mystique.

In the 19th Century, many people were ‘taking to the waters’ throughout Europe and the most renowned of these spa towns was that of Vichy, in the department of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the centre of France and in a volcanic regions with an abundance of thermal springs. It is from this region that Aqua Amore source the majestic Natural Mineral Waters (NMW) of Chateldon, Vichy Celestins, Vichy St Yorre and Vals.


According to the myth of the commercial origin, Dr. Modest Furest Roca, studied the beneficial effects of highly mineralised thermal water for the human physiology. Back in his native Catalunya, the volcanic region is around Girona – a region from which we also source Sant Aniol. When he was visiting the region of Caldes de Malavella, he encountered a goat herder, who remarked that his goats would drink from a mineral spring and subsequently be full of energy and bounce around; this story isn’t too dissimilar to the origins of coffee in Ethiopia, with the curious goats chewing on the coffee berry and exhibiting the effects of the caffeine! Dr. Furest was delighted with the analysis of the water and commercialised it by adopting the moniker of ‘Vichy’, in order to establish an evocation and recognition of its provenance. Fast forward to the present day and France is not accepting of this gross usurpation of its cultural heritage and will only allow the product to be sold as ‘VCH’!

We do know for certain, that the water emerges from the spring at a stable 59°C and visibly steams upon emergence into the atmosphere, in addition to possessing a whitened appearance due to the presence of CO2. We could feel the heat from the water and tasted it – the sensation is very unusual as one is essentially consuming warm, bubbly minerals in a liquid form. It is actually very highly mineralised at 3,052 mg/L – and these are minerals that can be tasted and sensed on the palate. It is noticeably carbonated, saline (due to the sodium) and viscous (due to the bicarbonates) and it is best enjoyed very chilled.

The water is captured underground and before it is bottled, it is topped up with CO2 in order to represent the character of water as it emerges from the spring, so that we can enjoy it as those knowing goats did for so many centuries. The operation itself is continuous – Vichy Catalan is the most popular sparkling water in Spain and Portugal and they have expanded to produce juices and carbonated flavours.

It is clear the Vichy Catalan brand is one that captures the heart and essence of Catalunya – with the adoption of the Gaudi pattern seen at Barcelona’s Parc Guell sealing its position as one of Spain’s most distinctive products.

Should you have the opportunity to visit, we would highly recommend a stay to enjoy the hospitality of the spa and dining facilities; in combination with the historic fort of Girona, it makes for a wonderful tour of a less travelled area of Catalunya. We would recommend a driving trip, starting from Perpignan and following the wonderful D914 ‘Costa Brava’ as the road clings to the cliffside and offers a glistening panorama of the Mediterranean. Passing through Cerbere and Portbou, before coming inland through Figueres and into Girona.

Thank you for joining us on this re-visiting of our journey and we welcome your enthusiasm, feedback and questions, as always.

 – Michael Tanousis, co-founder of Aqua Amore.

Aqua Amore Blog & News

Dear Aqua Amore Customers,

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis

We hope you are healthy and well.

I must start by saying a huge thank you to all our customers who have been so understanding and tolerant over recent days, and a welcome to new customers, current customers and returning customers.

If you’ve ordered from us or tried to contact us over the last week or so you will have noticed that we haven’t managed to provide our usual high levels of service, but almost without exception, our customers have appreciated the reasons why and seen our hard work in dispatching your orders.

Nonetheless we are really sorry that despite increased working hours and extra shifts we are not currently able to provide our usual levels of service and order dispatch times – throughout the logistics world, the current crisis has caused delays – whether within the UPS courier network or via our pallet delivery service, but we are working ahead of schedule in most cases. 

Today our warehouse have been busy arranging new stock so our shelves are refilled to meet the current high level of demand for bottled waters, soft drinks and tonics. (If you don’t yet follow, please follow our Instagram and Facebook page which we regularly update). Our team have been grouped into small teams so that the operation continues to run for longer and to maintain the highest levels of hygiene and wellness – our warehouse team operate safe distancing and our fulfilment team have all been issued with anti-bacterial gels, gloves and face masks.

The whole team at Aqua Amore are working hard to fulfil deliveries to homes and residences throughout the UK so you can Stay Home. Protect The NHS. Save Lives.

Aqua Amore Operations Team busy preparing orders during Easter Bank Holiday weekend

How can you help us?

1. The most useful way is to check your account regularly, as we update order status’ frequently and this will give an indication of the progress of your order and a delivery time/courier link – failed deliveries add an extra strain on the logistics network as we strive to offer the same high level of deliveries.

2. Check the approximate delivery times at the foot of your Order Confirmation email, which will offer a rough guide in working days. For example ‘1-5 working days’ etc…

3. Check our current FAQs (here) for quick answers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will continue to do all that we can to improve things over the coming days and like you, we very much look forward to the situation returning to something closer to normality as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, please take care of yourselves – we are working very hard so you can stay home, stay healthy and stay safe.

Yours Sincerely,

Christopher Tanousis

Co-Founder

Aqua Amore Blog & News

Coffee and Conversations: Mineral Water: Sensations, TDS and public perception

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis

Aqua Amore feature in an insightful podcast series ‘Coffee and Conversations’, where Omar and Umar discuss their experience of various mineral waters.

In the next few episodes, our co-founder Michael Tanousis shall be contributing to the discussion and extending the debate alongside Podcast hosts Omar and Umar.


Listen to ‘Mineral Water: Sensations, TDS and public perception’ through your favoured platform (here).

Aqua Amore Blog & News

DWAYNE JOHNSON AND VOSS WATER ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis
Dwayne Johnson x VOSS Water
Photo Credit: Hiram Garcia

As long term suppliers and distributors of VOSS Water, Aqua Amore are proud to report exciting developments of the brand, popular amongst our home delivery, office delivery and on-premise customers in the UK and European market.

VOSS Water has long been a very popular bottled water and flavoured water range of healthy beverages within the UK market and has been stocked at Aqua Amore since 2008. We are excited at the prospect of a brand partnership with Dwayne Johnson and look forward to future developments

Christopher Tanousis, Founder of Aqua Amore


NEW YORK, NY (July 25, 2019):  VOSS Water announces today its strategic partnership with global entertainment icon, entrepreneur and VOSS loyalist, Dwayne Johnson. Johnson, who acquired a stake in VOSS, will serve as a true brand partner and strategic advisor as the brand innovates and continues expansion into new international territories, including China, as well as new product categories, packaging and platforms. As a cultural leader with a finger on the pulse of what audiences want, Johnson’s global influence and expertise will be invaluable to introducing the brand to new audiences.

Each innovation created under this partnership will inspire consumers to get all they can out of life, echoing Johnson’s own ambition, while upholding the brand’s long-standing commitment to quality and sustainability. The inaugural collaborative innovation, the brand’s first in a range of functional offerings delivering unique and meaningful health benefits to consumers, is planned for launch in early 2020.

“I’ve been hydrating with VOSS for years, whether on set, in the Iron Paradise, or spending time with my family and friends. This partnership is a natural evolution as I look to partner with exceptional brands looking to innovate and impact the globe with sustainable best in class deliverables. I’m thrilled to have evolved my genuine passion for VOSS into a formal business investment and work with their exceptional leadership team, to create new products and develop strategic brand initiatives and collaborations,…. We are going to build great things together.” 

Dwayne Johnson

VOSS will also benefit from Johnson’s deep knowledge and expertise in culture-shifting marketing through ongoing branding consultations and collaborations. This includes the launch of VOSS’ largest consumer-facing advertising and social media campaign in years, “Live Every Drop,” which will feature Johnson himself. 

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dwayne and his team over the past number of months to specifically layout VOSS’ ambitious plans for expansion. Dwayne shares the same passion towards excellence, responsibility and consumer satisfaction. I expect nothing but great things from this partnership and speak for all our executives when I say we are extremely enthusiastic about this relationship and the unique opportunities we will create together”

John Shulman, Vice-Chairman of VOSS Water.

The “Live Every Drop” campaign will exemplify the mentality that you get out of life what you put in, sharing an intimate, behind the scenes glimpse of how Johnson puts in the work to defy limits every day. The campaign will launch via large-scale outdoor, digital and social media throughout major markets, beginning in the United States, on August 5, 2019.  

“We’re thrilled to be aligning with a partner who so genuinely embodies the VOSS brand vision… Johnson’s commitment to putting in the hard work it takes to live well, acting with purpose, and inspiring greatness, is precisely the ethos of ‘Live Every Drop.’ As one of the world’s most influential talents, Dwayne Johnson will play an instrumental role with VOSS moving forward – supporting an expanded brand vision as we stretch into new categories and territories, and extending the reach of our core, shared values.”

Ariel Boorstin, Global Director of Marketing for VOSS.

This move demonstrates how VOSS continues to expand and resonate with its consumers. A premium water straight from the most pristine source, the authenticity of VOSS makes it a brand worthy of everyday greatness and a daily encouragement to strive for more. Consumers have come to expect only the best from VOSS, and there is no stronger partner than Johnson to help bring this expanded brand vision to life.

About VOSS Water:

The VOSS source sits in Iveland, a sparsely populated area on the southern tip of Norway. Confined in an aquifer deep beneath the earth, VOSS water lies under layers of rock and sand, which create a natural filter, protecting it from the air and other pollutants. The exceptional purity of VOSS, and its uniquely fresh, clean taste, are due in part to the unusually low levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) naturally occurring in the VOSS source.

The extraordinary VOSS purity is matched only by its breathtaking bottle design, which uniquely conveys the distinction of the water within. Now an icon, VOSS is celebrated globally in over 50 countries, in a variety of sizes with unique and universal appeal. Tailored for different consumption occasions, VOSS Still water is available in glass and high-grade PET plastic. The VOSS Sparkling range, including Flavored Sparkling, is available in glass. VOSS Flavored Sparkling comes in unique & refreshing flavor combinations – Lemon Cucumber, Tangerine Lemongrass, Lime Mint, Strawberry Ginger & Raspberry Rose – each of which contain zero calories and no sugar or artificial sweeteners. The Flavored Sparkling range is currently available in the EU, U.K., U.S., Australia, Canada & Mexico

Media Inquiries:

For Dwayne Johnson
JONESWORKS

TeamRock@Jonesworks.com

For VOSS Water
NIKE COMMUNICATIONS

eshor@nikecomm.com

Aqua Amore Blog & News

VOSS Water adds two new flavoured waters – Strawberry/Ginger & Raspberry/Rose

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis

Following the success of their flavoured water range, Norwegian mineral water company, VOSS, have added a further two varieties of flavoured sparkling waters, Strawberry/Ginger & Raspberry/Rose, immediately launched in UK on Aqua Amore (of course!).

As stockists of the full range of VOSS Water to both homes and offices (via our retail site) and on-premise establishments around London and Surrey, the team at Aqua Amore were keen to offer another platform for VOSS to meet their target market in the UK.

The VOSS team heavily researched the UK market following the initial success of their three existing flavours in order to decide upon the new options, before deciding upon Strawberry/Ginger and Raspberry Rose, which is aimed to compliment a variety of foods and spirits.

Ken Gilbert, CMO of VOSS Water stated (2017):

“Sparkling water is currently one of the fastest growing categories in beverages, with flavored sparkling growing even more quickly, as consumers look for healthier alternatives to sweetened, caloric drinks…”

Together with the original VOSS Flavoured Waters, Lemon & Cucumber, Tangerine & Lemongrass and Lime/Mint, VOSS have aimed to meet consumer premium demands:

  • Offering different and delicious flavor combinations
  • All natural
  • Unsweetened/0 calories
  • Available in Iconic and distinctive glass bottles
  • Made with VOSS artesian water from Norway

Please click here to discover more about VOSS Water and Aqua Amore.

Aqua Amore Blog & News

AQUA AMORE AWARDED FEEFO GOLD TRUSTED SERVICE AWARD 2019

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis

February 2019, Aqua Amore has won the Feefo Gold Service award, an independent seal of excellence that recognises businesses for delivering exceptional experiences, as rated by real customers.

Created by Feefo, Trusted Service is awarded only to those businesses that use Feefo to collect genuine ratings and reviews. Those that meet the high standard, based on the number of reviews they have collected, and their average rating, are awarded. A badge of honour, this accreditation remains unique, as it is based purely on the interactions with verified customers. As all reviews are verified as genuine, the accreditation is a true reflection of a business’ commitment to outstanding service.

Aqua Amore met the criteria of collecting at least 50 reviews between January 1st 2018 and December 31st 2018, with a Feefo service rating of between 4.5 and 5.0.

Christopher Tanousis, Director of Aqua Amore commented: “It’s an honour to receive this award from Feefo for a second year in a row. To be recognised for delivering exceptional experiences to our customers is a great achievement. We’ve been working hard to ensure our customers receive the best service possible, and being able to listen, understand and respond to their needs has enabled us to improve our offering in 2018. We’re looking forward to another successful year ahead.”

Speaking on this year’s award, Andrew Mabbutt, CEO at Feefo, commented: ‘The Trusted Service award has always been about recognising those companies that go the extra mile. Once again, we have seen many incredible businesses using Feefo to its full potential, to provide truly memorable experiences for their customers – and rightly being awarded with our most prestigious accreditation. I look forward to the continual success of the businesses that work in partnership with Feefo throughout 2019.’

Aqua Amore Blog & News

Media Watch: 2012

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis
Eau so special: matching food with water (Square Meal 29 June 2012)

Matching wine and food with water? Have you ever heard of such a thing? Chris Mercer talks to the new generation of experts who believe it’s all down to the terroir.

It is tempting to label the rise of restaurant ‘water menus’ in the early 21st century as yet another example of the hedonism displayed by a society dazzled by fanciful opulence. In the post-recessionary fog, however, there is sober reflection. Claridges hotel, for one, no longer has a water menu. The party appears to be over.

Tap water’s safe and affordable qualities have gained it fans. These days, with restaurant wine mark-ups under pressure, it’s brave to charge £5 and upwards for a bottle of water. What’s more, relatively short supply lines and minimal packaging have made tap water the ecologist’s friend.

Michael Tanousis, founder of London-based bottled water supplier Aqua Amore, accepts tap water as an everyday thirst-quencher, but when it comes to enjoying a good meal, he views l’eau de Thames as a ‘bastardised product’. Supporting it in restaurants is ‘like making an argument for highly processed food’, he says.

Tanousis’s opinion comes down to this: ‘Huge investment is put into sourcing the best ingredients and the best wines, yet this sacred combination could be harmed by that rogue element on the table: water.’ Underlying this view is Tanousis’s conviction that water, like wine, is packed with variety. ‘A lot of people fail to realise that water is, by definition, terroir,’ he says.

This isn’t as strange as it seems. A lot of whisky distillers will tell you their water source affects the character of the base spirit. A water’s profile will depend on the porous rock and sediment that make up its source. For example, Fiji water comes from an artesian source in which underground pressure, created by impermeable volcanic rock, forces the water to the surface. You can also find glacial waters, drawn from melted ice, such as the Norwegian Isklar.

Spot the difference

But how do you go about spotting subtle differences between waters, and just how important are they when you are drinking water alongside wine and food?

First, make sure the mineral water comes from a natural spring, then check its chemical properties, stated on the label. For example, higher levels of calcium and bicarbonate can give water a softer, creamier mouthfeel. Evian is a good example, while Vittel gets a silky texture from higher levels of magnesium. High calcium can also yield a chalky taste, as in Hildon still water from the chalk-rich hills of southern England. Some argue that a lower pH level induces mild sweetness. Close your eyes and you’ll taste sweetness in Fiji.

Water’s odourless character can make it hard to describe. ‘There’s no universal language communicable for what makes water unique,’ says Tanousis. Partly for this reason, mouthfeel is important. For sparkling waters, there is a big difference between the lightweight carbonation of a Pedras Salgadas, the medium-fizz of a Badoit and the unruly, bad-boy bubbles of a Perrier. Matching water with food often comes down to mouthfeel, according to Michael Mascha, author of the Fine Waters book and website.

In a water, food and wine three-way session, most people believe that water should be submissive. Colleen Rafferty, of wine merchant Aubert & Mascoli, says: ‘London, in particular, has very harsh water with noticeable flavours. To fully enjoy wine and food you need a water that is clean and fresh with a smooth, soft mouthfeel that will not interfere.’ Rafferty recently used Fiji water as a palate cleanser during a wine-and-food tasting.

Water for wine

sauvignon blanc - ist2_2687706-white-wine-glass.jpg

Tanousis has gone further, by spearheading efforts to match specific white wine styles with specific waters. In tests on 55 white wines, the artesian Iskilde came up trumps for aromatic white wines, such as Viognier, while Saint Geron sparkling water was best with oaked whites. Water should ‘enhance some or all of a wine’s natural characteristics’, he believes.

In the end, though, the concept is a pretty hard sell and even the evangelical Tanousis concedes that he is outnumbered by sceptics. If you want to test the theory, why not see how many different brands of water you can find and try a few of them together?

Ways with water

Play it cool: Make sure it’s chilled but don’t go ice cold, because this could dampen your palate.

Match the mouthfeel: Think big sparklers such as Perrier with hearty fare like steak, softer still waters such as Welsh Llanyllr with sushi, or sweet-tinged Fiji with crème caramel. Medium-carbonated, slightly salty waters such as German Gerolsteiner will cut through the creaminess of a Roquefort cheese. Try Badoit for less pungent cheeses.

Wine rules: Water is wine’s support act, so think about minerality. Try a fresh, calcium-rich, still Hildon with a Sancerre from chalky soils in the Loire Valley. A higher overall mineral content, like that of Harrogate spring water, should provide a better balance against medium- and full-bodied reds. High mineral sparkling waters such as San Pellegrino complement, rather than overwhelm, full-bodied red wines, like a spicy Shiraz.

Article published in the summer issue of Square Meal Lifestyle, 29/06/2012 (here)

Aqua Amore Blog & News

Burton On Trent & the magic of the water

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis
23
Jan
This evening Burton Albion welcome reigning Premier League champions and League Cup holders, Manchester City, in the Carabao Cup looking to overturn a 9-0 first leg loss. But whilst the magic may not be in the cup tonight, the magic may indeed be in the water the famous brewing town in built around. Burton on Trent rests in a river valley built on ancient rock covered with up to sixty feet of gravel and sand which the water has trickled through for thousands of years, giving it a unique mineral content high in sulphate, magnesium and calcium but low in sodium and bicarbonate – ideal for the brewing of beer and making the town a famous brewing region.
“…the one spot in the world where the well-water is so obviously intended by Nature for kindly union with those fruits of the earth, to give beer incomparable” – U.S. Virgin Island’s Daily News, 1939
1939 advertisement extolling the virtues of Burton-on-Trent’s water from U.S. Virgin Island’s Daily News
Such is the reputation of the region’s water, which gifts the beer a dry sulphurous aroma known as the “Burton snatch” that a 2016 BBC article documented that brewers in China are adding gypsum and salts such as magnesium sulphate to the local water to replicate the famous eggy smell. However, long before Burton became famous for it’s brewing water, the water itself was the reason for the town’s existence according to folklore dating to the 7th Century AD when an Irish nun named Modwen stopped to rest on an island in the River Trent during a pilgrimage to Rome and, settling there, built a temple.
Saint Modwen
Whilst in Burton on Trent, the tale describes how a young boy with a terminal illness was sent to her and, using the waters from a well on the island, Modwen cured him of his ailments. The boy was to grow up to be King Alfred the Great. The legend itself would bring visitors to the region and ‘Modwen’s Well’ is documented as still being used in the seventeenth century for the treatment of ailments of the skin and eyes. There may be no miracles taking place this evening in the Carabao Cup, but perhaps the magic still lies in the water of Burton on Trent….  
  • Christopher Tanousis
  The source of this blog post was inspired from an article in All About Beer Magazine and the previously linked BBC article. All images are subject to Copyrights which are not owned by Aqua Amore and sourced from links here, here and here.
Aqua Amore Blog & News

Vichy Catalan – “The mineral water that’s definitely not for wusses” [FT how to spend it]

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis
12
Nov
In February 2011, Paul Richardson of the Financial Times ‘how to spend it’ wrote:   “If there is no bottle of my favourite Spanish mineral water in my fridge door, I panic. For that reason I buy in crates of the stuff so I won’t be without. In summer I get through it at a rate of bottle a day. It is a fabulous thing to wake up to, even before the coffee and toast, and long hot afternoons wouldn’t be the same without a big glass with plenty of ice and a dash of fresh lime juice or elderflower cordial.”   Please click here to read the article.      
Aqua Amore Blog & News

Actiph Water – What is the story behind the UK’s first ionised alkaline water?

Posted on by Christopher Tanousis
06
Sep

Actiph Water is the first alkaline ionised water launched in the UK, with a pH level of 9.0 or higher, for those people looking to find a balance to the acidic food and drink they consume daily.

The Actiph story began when Jamie Douglas-Hamilton set two Guinness World Records rowing 4,200 miles from Australia to Africa across the Indian Ocean. On this unsupported expedition, the crew pulled more than a million strokes through enormous seas and 3 major storms one of which was a hurricane.

With the rowing broken into 2-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, physical demands were so extreme that the rowers were burning between 8-10,000 calories a day and drinking 13 litres of water and crew members would often pass out or have vivid hallucinations.

One day would change everything.  A member of the crew mixed his freshwater with seawater; the effect was so profound the crew started to mix every second bottle of drinking water with one third sea water, replacing essential minerals.  This had a dramatic effect, reducing hallucinations, increasing power and giving the crew the energy to continue. It became evident how vital a role hydration plays in performance and wellbeing. This is how Actiph began.

Jamie then learnt that the Japanese have a water that is ionised, supercharging it to create high pH alkaline water. They call this ‘waterfall water’ because of the change of electrical charge created by rushing water in a waterfall. This sparked a desire for Jamie to bring ionised, alkaline water to Europe. After months of research and development in October 2017 Actiph launched in the UK.

Actiph is made by purifying spring water from Shropshire, adding electrolytes, then supercharged by ionisation to remove all the acidic ions leaving a smooth tasting alkaline bottled water.

Jamie Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Actiph Water, explained: “Actiph water is unlike any other water available here, because of the unique way we make it and its high alkaline level. Our consumers keep telling us drinking alkaline ionised water makes them feel great”.

Actiph wanted to work with Aqua Amore to supply the first alkaline ionised water to people in the UK and Europe. Aqua Amore has helped guide and act as a platform for new soft drinks such as Actiph. Actiph has some exciting plans over the coming months to help more consumers enjoy alkaline ionised water.

Browse ACTIPH Waters here.

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