| Extra info | The properties of San Pellegrino mineral waters were renowned as early as the 12th century. Legend has it that Leonardo da Vinci visited the source while living in Milan.
The use of the water for therapeutic treatment did not begin until the 18th century, due to the difficulties in reaching its remote location.
In 1842, the town decided to sell 75 percent of the spring to Ester Palazzolo, on the condition that the remaining share be given to the residents of San Pellegrino Terme, who could draw the water from an external tap free of charge. This is still done today. In 1899, the spring was purchased by Societá Anonima delle Terme di San Pellegrino who managed the activities of the spas and the bottling of water.
In 1900, the first year of the company's activity, 35,000 bottles were bottled and delivered around the world. In 1905, a new bottling plant was built, enabling them to increase output to 50,000 bottles a day. By 1908, three million bottles had been sold.
In 1928, the spa facilities were renovated and equipped with the most modern diagnostic tools, such as a radioscopic room, radiograph room, microscopes and chemical analysis laboratory.
With a bit of intuition and luck, mineral water was used to produce a new soft drink called Aranciata. Made up of a combination of simple and healthful ingredients like Sicilian oranges, San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water and sugar, it was successfully launched in 1932. In the 1950s, another bitter-tasting beverage, Chinotto was created. The beverage took its name from a particular citrus fruit that, outside of China, grows only in Sicily, on a plantation located on the slopes of Etna. In 1960, the company launched Sanbitter apéritif. By 1968, the product had already sold over 150 million bottles.
On April 20, 1970, the company changed its name to Sanpellegrino SpA and continued to grow through the '70s and '80s.
In 1999, Sanpellegrino SpA became part of Nestlé Waters.
The current San Pellegrino Terme Plant was built in 1961 and and operates 24 hours a day, satisfying the demand for mineral water, soft drinks and aperitifs in more than 120 countries around the world. The plant employs over 400 people (one-fifth of whom are women). |
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