Silver Spring Mineral Water Company Limited
Encyclopedia
The Silver Spring Soft Drinks Ltd is a commercial limited company that produces a range of soft drinks from its factory and headquarters at Folkestone
, Kent
, in the United Kingdom
. Originally founded as a company in 1886, the company traded under the name of Silver Spring Mineral Water Company until it changed ownership in 2009. It produces the drink brands Perfectly Clear, Rola Cola
along with own label brands for supermarket chains.
and Spring Up brands.
The company became the first company in Great Britain to begin production of P.E.T.
2litre bottles in 1982, and shortly after commenced own label
production for the supermarket
s. On May 6th 1995 the company introduced the Perfectly Clear brand of flavoured mineral water. Within two years Perfectly Clear became the 4th best selling carbonated drink in the UK. In 2008 the company was reported as producing more than 250m bottles of drinks per year.
Despite the success of Perfectly Clear, the family owned company was entered into administration on 16th September 2009 by Deloitte LLP. The company's assets were subsequently purchased by venture capital
firm Privet Capital and renamed as Silver Spring Soft Drinks Company Ltd which continues the sale of the Silver Spring products.
, which is widely drunk in Kent,. The company's lemonade
is also known by the distinctive product title Spring Up.
Silver Spring has been operating from Folkestone since 1870 and remains an independent company. It retains many traditional features; for example, it continues to manufacture its own bottles, both glass and plastic.
Silver Spring have since taken over in producing Virgin Cola
.
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Originally founded as a company in 1886, the company traded under the name of Silver Spring Mineral Water Company until it changed ownership in 2009. It produces the drink brands Perfectly Clear, Rola Cola
Rola Cola
Rola Cola is a cola drink created by Carlo Dini in 1979, manufactured by Dubuis & Rowsell in the United Kingdom, and manufactured in the U.S. by Ungerer Organization....
along with own label brands for supermarket chains.
History
The Silver Spring Mineral Water Company was founded in Folkstone in 1888 as a carbonated soft drinks manufacturer. Originally located at Grace Hill, Folkestone, towards the end of the 1890s the company expanded and moved to larger premises in Foord Rd. In 1946 Silver Spring bought and merged with another local firm, the Harris of Hythe Company. Further consolidation of the local market came in 1969 when Silver Spring took over Star Mineral of Whitstable. In 1970 it moved again to a new facility on the Park Farm Estate. During the following decade it created the Rola ColaRola Cola
Rola Cola is a cola drink created by Carlo Dini in 1979, manufactured by Dubuis & Rowsell in the United Kingdom, and manufactured in the U.S. by Ungerer Organization....
and Spring Up brands.
The company became the first company in Great Britain to begin production of P.E.T.
Polyethylene terephthalate
Polyethylene terephthalate , commonly abbreviated PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P, is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination...
2litre bottles in 1982, and shortly after commenced own label
Store brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...
production for the supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s. On May 6th 1995 the company introduced the Perfectly Clear brand of flavoured mineral water. Within two years Perfectly Clear became the 4th best selling carbonated drink in the UK. In 2008 the company was reported as producing more than 250m bottles of drinks per year.
Despite the success of Perfectly Clear, the family owned company was entered into administration on 16th September 2009 by Deloitte LLP. The company's assets were subsequently purchased by venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm Privet Capital and renamed as Silver Spring Soft Drinks Company Ltd which continues the sale of the Silver Spring products.
Products
Silver Spring products are commonplace throughout Kent, and many (including its 'Perfectly Clear' flavoured water range) are distributed nationwide. Certain lines are, however, distributed only in Kent, thus the company has a very local feel to it. Although many of its products are generic in nature (cola, mineral water, etc.) it produces one line which is believed to be unique. This is the soft drink BingBing (soft drink)
Bing is a soft drink produced by the Silver Spring Mineral Water Company Limited, based in Folkestone, Kent, UK. It is dark orange in colour and has a cherryade quality to it. The flavour has been compared by some to original Tizer . The name 'Bing' comes from the original producer of the drink,...
, which is widely drunk in Kent,. The company's lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
is also known by the distinctive product title Spring Up.
Silver Spring has been operating from Folkestone since 1870 and remains an independent company. It retains many traditional features; for example, it continues to manufacture its own bottles, both glass and plastic.
Silver Spring have since taken over in producing Virgin Cola
Virgin Cola
Virgin Cola is a carbonated cola soft drink produced by Silver Spring and part of the Virgin Group. It was launched in 1994.- History :Virgin Cola was set up during the early 1990s in conjunction with Cott, a Canadian company that specialises in bottling own-label drinks...
.