Our story

“Before us lies a treasure of nature, one that seems to say: “protect me, preserve me, let me be discovered”… “Come, taste this water, it is lighter than you could ever imagine”.”

The water we tasted won us over immediately and, what is more, the place itself was enchanting. The idea of marketing it seemed just as good as the water itself. Only a short time had passed since that trip to the waterfall when, in my father’s office, he and his entrepreneur friend, who had organised the expedition to the Ischiator Valley, met to discuss the business. “We already have partners from Milan,” he said, “but there’s room for you too.” “All right, you’ve convinced us. We’re ready to join the company by acquiring a thirty per cent stake,” my father replied. “Shake on it,” he added, as he had done almost all his life, even when it came to business matters. And we got to work straight away.

A few days later, my father called me into his office. He explained everything that was happening and revealed what he had been thinking: “Alberto, you take care of it…” “But Dad!” I jumped to my feet and pushed back against the “script” my father had imagined. “This deal doesn’t interest me at all. I have completely different ideas in my mind: construction, building sites…” That is my father’s line of work, and it is what fascinates me most. I want it to become my life’s work. However, despite all my resistance, where did I end up shortly afterwards? Barely a month after that conversation with my father, I found myself dealing with mineral water, springs to be managed, future bottles to be sold… and problems to be resolved!

This is where the story of Sant’Anna Water began, the natural mineral water that would go on to become Italy’s market leader.

Taken from “I custodi della sorgente” by Alberto Bertone and Adriano Moraglio Rubbettino Editions, 2018