Introduction of Ice Mountain Water
While many people associate Nestlé with chocolate bars bearing the same name, the company is one of the most diverse in the world. From chocolate to cleaning products, to bottled waters, Nestlé makes pretty much everything.
Ice Mountain Water is one of the many bottled waters produced by the Nestlé company. Other water brands in the Nestlé portfolio include:
In fact, Nestlé became the largest bottled water producer in 2008. Many of their brands, like Ice Mountain, are produced and distributed in a regional manner. Ice Mountain is produced in Michigan and is most of found throughout the midwest United States.
Ice Mountain water is bottled in one of 12 different sizes from a tiny 250 ml (8 ounces) bottle to an enormous 100-gallon jug. All of its bottles are produced in Stanwood, Michigan after the water is pulled from springs in Mecosta County and Evart, Michigan.
Ice Mountain Water Prices
While Ice Mountain may come across as an economy brand with its basic packaging appearance, it is a unique bottled water. This brand is one of the few that use natural spring water without a process of purification.
Water is simply pulled from carefully sourced springs and bottled into one of the various sized bottles. Nestlé has had to deal with some legal issues, resulting in the limitation of how much water it can pull from each spring daily.
Ice Mountain vs Other Bottles
When searching for a standard case of 24 Ice Mountain bottles, consumers can expect to pay nearly double the cost of the PepsiCo economy brand called Aquafina. Thus, we can establish that this Nestlé brand costs twice as much as most “tap water” brands produced in the United States.
When comparing the same size package (24, 16.9-ounce bottles) to another naturally-sourced Nestlé product called Perrier, Ice Mountain comes in about four dollars cheaper.
Perrier sports a glass bottle and is a sparkling water from France, making its slightly higher price unsurprising. Ice Mountain also offers an assortment of flavored sparkling waters, which are priced equivalently to Perrier.
A Fluoridated Option
In addition to its unusual production free from human purification intervention, Ice Mountain offers a fluoridated water option. Many municipalities add fluoride to the public water supply and those who only drink bottled water often miss out on this chemical enhancement.
Fluoride is a tasteless, colorless chemical that has been suggested to help prevent the decay of teeth. The American Dental Association and US Food and Drug Administration both agree with this sentiment.
The amount of fluoride included in Ice Mountain bottles can vary but the FDA requires the contents be clearly marked on the labeling and be within certain parameters. The sparkling waters do not offer a fluoridated option.
Common Ice Mountain Water Prices List
Type | Size | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|
Ice Mountain Spring Water | 24 x 16.9 oz (500ml) | $12.99 |
24 x 23.7 oz (700ml) | $20.18 | |
Ice Mountain Spring Water Sport Cap | 24 x 23.7 oz | $21.70 |
Ice Mountain Sparkling Water, Lively Lemon | 8 x 16.9 oz | $12.99 |
Ice Mountain Sparkling Water, Zesty Lime | 8 x 16.9 oz | $12.99 |
Ice Mountain Sparkling Water, Black Cherry | 8 x 16.9 oz | $12.99 |
Ice Mountain Sparkling Water, Triple Berry | 8 x 16.9 oz | $12.99 |
Ice Mountain Sparkling Water, Orange | 8 x 16.9 oz | $12.99 |
Where Does Ice Mountain Water Come From?
Ice Mountain comes from two springs in the U.S. state of Michigan. One is located in Mecosta County and is called Sanctuary Spring. The second, Evart Spring, is in a city called Evart, Michigan.
It is highly unusual for bottled water produced in the United States to forego any part of the purification process. Nestlé worked tirelessly to source the two springs that represented the utmost cleanliness and purity.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires strict and excessive monitoring of the water quality coming from the springs to ensure no bacteria or unexpected contaminants are found their bottles of water.
How a Spring Works
The springs utilized by Nestlé to bottle its Ice Mountain product date back to the most recent ice age. Needless to say, that was a long time ago. The melting process of these massive glaciers resulted in the formation of both rivers and underground storage areas called aquifers.
As the water makes its way into the aquifer holding the spring water underground, it filters through an array of layers that include a variety of rock types and sand. These layers serve as filters, purifying the water in a way that human intervention cannot.
The spring is where the water resting in an aquifer pushes its way to the surface and is collected there. As the water rises, it goes through yet another natural filtration process, leading to a water supply that does not need to be treated.
The water is simply tested to guarantee its purity and bottled at the Ice Mountain bottling facility Stanwood, Michigan.