Company History

The Early Years…

During the late 19th century there was a need for good clean tasty non-intoxicating refreshments, up until then only the wealthy were able to afford the luxury of spa water with flavouring. It was in 1860 when there was a massive explosion of pop drinks and emerging flavours Ginger Beer and Lemonade were launched. It was because of the upsurge of fizzy pop that a group of business men organised and set up their own mineral company; The Silver Spring Mineral Water Company was born in 1870.

The Spring: Silver Spring has its very own spring located in Kent’s North Downs which dates back to the Roman times. The spring emerged from the base of the chalk hills and 4 miles west there was a roman encampment where iron was formed naturally and would be used to make iron wear and weaponry.  There are two separate hills, the nearest known as Caesar’s Camp and the other to the east is “Sugarloaf Hill” named for its shape.

The spring which was once known as the “Cherry Garden” spring due to the abundance of cherry trees that grew nearby has been a natural source to make refreshingly pure soft drinks for over 140 years. It takes years for the water to trickle its way from the surface down to our spring well. As it passes through the chalk hills of the North Downs, the water becomes rich in calcium and perfectly clear spring water.

Timeline

1880

Silver Spring Mineral Water Company was established in 1888; established as local carbonated soft drinks manufacture at Grace Hill, Folkestone. Towards the end of the 1890 Silver Spring expanded and moved business to Foord Rd, Folkestone, Kent.

1940

The company went from strength to strength and merged with Harris of Hythe Company (established in 1876) and brought their production to the new Foord Road business, where Silver Spring Mineral Water Company eventually brought Harris & Co in 1946.

1954

Silver Spring was bought by a local family, and was a family run business until 2009.

1968

Silver Spring bought Bing’s minerals of Canterbury, from Mr Edwin Bing an entrepreneur who invented the brand Bing, which is still sold today and full of Kentish Heritage.

1969

Silver Spring took over Star mineral of Whitstable.

1970

Silver Spring was relocated to Park Farm Estate in 1970, the factory was equipped with the latest stainless steel soft drinks manufacturing and bottling equipment. Bottles were de-capped, washed, filled, recapped and labelled at the expected rate of over 10,000 doz each hour. As the growth continued Bingo Pops were introduced and the start of innovation; using a new plastic pouch with a straw. This was followed by the classic Rola Cola brand and the unforgettable “Spring Up” logo was launched. Towards the end of  1970 Silver Spring invested  £5 Million to install a new 2LTR P.E.T line.

1980

In 1982 Silver Spring were the first company in Great Britain to begin production of plastic (P.E.T) 2litre bottles, followed by  the start of own label production for the supermarkets and cash & carries. The opportunity for the P.E.T expanded with 1 litre P.E.T bottle production. Throughout the rest of the decade Silver Spring expanded its quantity and range of its sales of P.E.T supply to more and more major supermarket chains. In 1983 Silver Spring won the Prestigious Queens award for Export with it sales of cans and 2Ltr bottles to the Middle East countries.

1990

In 1990 innovation continued and Silver Spring started to manufacture plastic closures as well as an investment to hold ¼ million gallons of water obtained from the North Down hills above; an exciting new venture to produce natural spring water. Perfectly Clear brand was born and introduced May 6^th 1995 in 2 litre & 1litre bottles. After two years Perfectly Clear reached 4^th best top carbonated sales in U.K.

2000

By the turn of the century Silver Spring Soft Drinks was the largest privately owned independent soft drinks maker in the UK, priding themselves on quality, convenience and service – with a trademark value for money promise. The pro-active new product development has been a key factor in the continuous growth for private label customers and across Silver Spring’s own extensive portfolio of brands. It was Silver Spring who pioneered recyclable polyethylene terephphalate (RPET) plastic; continuing to innovate in manufacturing methods, natural resources and a determination to minimise use of energy and raw materials.

2009

Up until now, Silver Spring was in family hands till September 2009 when its business and assets were acquired by Privet Capital and the transition from silver Spring Mineral Water Company to Silver Spring Soft Drinks Limited.

2010

After the re-brand of the company took place in 2009; the newly named Silver Spring Soft Drinks name has become the home of Great British drinks and iconic national brands such as Perfectly Clear and 1870 Mixers.

In 2010 Silver Spring re-launched Perfectly Clear – which pioneered the flavour water category. Very British spring water was re-born which is now renowned for its Garden of England message, Perfectly Clear has taken an English tradition with a contemporary twist and is listed in all the major multiply chains.

The re-launch of 1870 mixers comes with a wealth of product development and innovation to its flavours and packaging. The most recent investment includes the installation of a glass line as part of the multi-sector business plan which includes expansion in the on premise and export markets. The recently purchased and re-launched Silver Spring brand continues to be at the forefront of soft drinks innovation.