A CENTURY OF HISTORY AT SOURCES ABATILLES ARCACHON
The story begins in August 1923, when Gabriel Maydieu, the landowner, began drilling for oil on his property. It wasn’t oil, but a 7-metre column of water that engineer Louis Le Marié saw gushing out! The Abatilles spring had just been discovered!
In 1925, the Abatilles spring was recognized for its medicinal qualities by the Bordeaux Academy of Medicine, which qualified it as “health water” and authorized the creation of La Société Thermale des Abatilles.
In the years that followed, the Source, its kiosk and landscaped park quickly became a major resort for spa guests and celebrities, who came for the treatments but also to party.
At the time, Abatilles water was sold in bottles in pharmacies, and was recognized for its therapeutic virtues in treating osteoarthritis, rheumatism, kidney failure, urinary stones and hypertension.
The Abatilles spring regained its popularity in 1954, when the social security system began to reimburse spa treatments.
From 1961 onwards, the Source entered the era of industrialization, being bought and operated by the major VITTEL and NESTLE WATERS groups, before being sold to independent entrepreneurs Roger PADOIS and Olivier BERTRAND in 2008.
In 2013, Jean Merlaut & Hervé Maudet, two men of the wine world, fell in love with Les Abatilles. They took the gamble of investing in a high-performance production facility, making La Source a jewel in the local economy in just a few years.
A CSR* approach (*Corporate Social Responsibility )
Their small team of 50 people is committed to a socially responsible approach that aims – through concrete actions – to preserve the purity of its water, to draw it without excess, to protect its direct environment and to reduce its environmental footprint.
- Draw without excess: only 38% of the volume authorized by the Gironde Prefecture.
- Optimized bottling process to reduce energy consumption (-40% since 2008)
- 100% recyclable bottles and corks, recovered and recycled
- Objective of 25% recycled plastic by 2025
- Contribution to PET bottle recycling* (Eco-emballages* tax)
- Steady decline in the weight of plastic in bottles and closures
- Raw materials made exclusively in France
- 3-fold increase in glass production between 2013 and 2019
- Raising staff awareness of environmental protection issues
- Sorting bins for bottles, corks, plastic film, glass, cardboard and batteries at the plant
- Research and development for plastic substitutes
At a depth of 472 m, the Abatilles spring taps into the Eocene captive aquifer. Each drop comes from the rains of the Massif Central, infiltrating through the soil and travelling 1 km every 300 years. As it passes through rock, sand and clay, Eau des Abatilles is loaded with the various minerals that go to make up its composition, which has remained constant since 1925, and is naturally stored in an aquifer.
It is here, on the Arcachon Basin in the Abatilles district, that it has been drawn and directly bottled for almost 100 years.
Zero nitrate.
Its unique depth of catchment acts as a protective shield against pollution (no agricultural activity near the spring) and nitrates. It is one of the few springs in France to boast zero nitrate* levels.
*below detection limit
Low mineralization.
With 354 mg dry residue/liter, Eau des Abatilles is one of the few French waters with a low mineral content, thanks to the natural filtering of excess minerals by the various layers it passes through. Its neutral taste and draining, detoxifying properties help eliminate toxins without any metabolic effort for the body.
Guaranteed composition and purity.
The water from Les Abatilles is drawn from deep underground using perfectly protected equipment. Its natural qualities and original purity remain untreated and untouched by human contact until you open a bottle! Its stable composition over time is regularly monitored (internally and by the Agence Régionale de Santé).
The identity of Les Abatilles is intimately linked to its membership of the Bassin d’Arcachon. La Source proudly displays its support for its benchmark partner: the Bassin d’Arcachon brand. Sensitive to environmental issues, it plays a full part in the region’s economic development, giving preference to local partners and players.
source: 100 ans d’abatilles
