Following the disastrous earthquake in Nepal, the British government sent out an emergency relief trauma team to help in the rescue efforts and the treatment of survivors.

Shortly after arriving, one of the members of the team, based in Scotland, went to a small store in Katmandu which had escaped the worst of the earthquake and had reopened. He was looking for some bottled water. Lo and behold, on the shelf were bottles of Highland Spring, bottled some dozen or so miles from his home.

Members of the Bridge of Allan and Dunblane Rotary Club didn’t have as far to go when they visited the Highland Spring production plant at Blackford to learn about the work of the plant.

Alex Haken, head of technical services, provided a short history of Highland Spring and some fascinating statistics about the volume and speed of production of the various types and sizes of bottled water.

The plant at Blackford opened in 1979, with production starting a year later. But this was not the first time that the pure, fresh water from the Ochils had been used. In the early 16th century King James IV of Scotland announced that the local beer, made with water drawn from the same land as Highland Spring, was to be his Coronation ale.

As Alex emphasized: "Fit for a king and now fit for us."

The water is drawn from bore holes positioned on the Ochils just above the plant. The extraction licence allows for 2.2 billion litres to be drawn from the water table each year, though at present the plant uses some 470 million litres, so there is plenty of scope for expansion. The land from which the water is drawn is certified as organic - the only source of bottled water in the country to have this designation. The water filters through the rock formation, which has been there for some 400 million years, removing all impurities and providing the water for the bottling plant.

Alex emphasized the importance of ensuring the most stringent levels of quality: “We go to great lengths to look after the source of our water, keeping it pure and protected from anything and everything that doesn’t grow, hop or nibble at the wild heathers and grass that cover our land. That’s why we’re very proud to be recognised by the Soil Association who, in 2001, named the source of Highland Spring in the Ochil Hills as certified organic land.

"Not only are there precious few of these accreditations in the UK, we’re the only major bottled water brand that draws water from this special type of land. In everything we do, we try to protect the environment around us. This is why The Good Shopping Guide has named Highland Spring the leading ethical bottled water brand in the UK for seven years running."

Highland Spring is the UK’s biggest supplier of bottled water: the production at Blackford, and its three other smaller plants in Scotland and one in England, produce almost one in five of the bottled water drunk in the UK, and export to 30 countries.

Looking to the future, Alex revealed that Highland Spring has plans to establish a new production line to increase the current bottling capacity. There is also a plan to build a rail link from the premises to the main line, which will greatly reduce road transport and the emissions of carbon dioxide.

Following Alex’s presentation, the club toured the production line, seeing the extent to which it is automated. The process starts with the making of bottles and proceeds through to the filling and packaging. The processes are checked at each stage to ensure the quality is fully maintained. The equipment is very flexible: it can quickly change the output from one size of bottle to another.

Kenneth Murray thanked Alex and his colleagues for an excellent evening; members had greatly appreciated the opportunity to understand both the business and the production process.

The next meeting of the Rotary Club will be held at the Westlands Hotel, Doune Road, Dunblane on Thursday, October 8 at 6pm for 6.30pm.

The guest speaker will be Beth Young, who will speak about the Round Square Conference. Visitors are very welcome.

Anyone interested in attending should contact the club secretary, Iain Fraser, at secretary@dunblanerotary.org or call 01786 822751.