Photo: Paal Audestad - www.fjordtours.com
Fjord Tours Articles / 25 Jun 2020

Food and Drink Producers in Norway: Norway’s Purist Water

Norwegians are almost as proud of their water as they are of their skiers. And that’s saying something! “To be able to drink pure, bacteria-free water directly from both the tap and a mountain stream is a luxury that I believe is quite unique in the world”, says Vidar Lund, senior scientist at the Norwegian institute of public health.

Norway is generally a very conscientious, green and healthy place, making it one of the top-rated countries to live in. Water quality in Norway is no different, and actually quite exceptional, ranking highly on the world chart for the best tap water every year. The country has special programs that protect its groundwater and other water systems that safeguard the quality of water for its citizens.

The Norwegian water industry takes care of health and the environment, by delivering 700 million cubic meters of drinking water a year and treating wastewater prior to discharge back into nature. Norway produces 98% of its power using hydro and is a world-leading innovator in sustainable, renewable energies.

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Photo: © Wilderness Norway

Voss Water

When it comes to exporting drinking water, "Voss Water" has become one of the most recognizable brands mostly owing to it’s some say over-designed but stylish bottle.

Though the name might lead you to think that the water comes from the mountains near Voss, in western Norway, in fact, it comes from that country’s south coast—specifically, the remote, thinly populated Iveland area, northeast of  Kristiansand. Rock and ice have protected the artesian source for hundreds of years.

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Photo: Dylan Luder /Unsplash

Farris

"Farris Water" as a brand is Norway’s oldest and by quite some margin, Norway’s best-selling bottled water. It even has the royal seal of approval with an official agreement still in place today for Farris to provide the King with water wherever he may be. Bottled in Larvik, the source first gained recognition in the 1800s when one of Norway’s first spa’s proclaimed to offer natural health benefits.

Towards the end of the last ice age, the Larvik district lay beneath a glacier. In front of the glacier, as the ice melted, a moraine ridge was built up, which is the geological point of departure for the Farris springs and where the first bottling took place. The rainwater is filtered and purified on the way down through the soil layers and it takes 15-20 years for it to arrive at the tapping point.

Did you know: Berry producers in the Sognefjord area use melted snow and rain from the mountains in their production! Find out more here.

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Photo: Derek Oyen / Unsplash

Svalbarði

This product is as unique as the story of its conception: in 2013, Norwegian-American Jamal Qureshi collected meltwater as a gift for his wife while traveling in the Norwegian island territory of Svalbard – one of Europe’s last great wildernesses. The pure water would make for a delicious cup of tea, he thought. Four years later, and the whimsical, selfless thought transformed into an epicurean product, which is redefining the very notion of pure drinking water.

With approval from the Governor of Svalbard, Mr. Qureshi charters an icebreaker – the Ulla Rinman - and seeks out the purest of icebergs in Kongsfjorden, just 1000km from the North Pole at 79° north. As fresh as the day it fell as snow up to 4000 years previously, 10 tonnes of ice is gathered by the Svalbarði crew. The ice is then gently melted in a specially constructed machine and bottled by hand, capturing the best drinking water in its cleanest form.

In order to retain the water’s natural composition and premium taste, no chemistry-altering filters are used, only micron filters and UV light to adhere to international standards. Each expedition can yield up to 13000 bottles of pure drinking water; each batch is therefore a limited edition. The product can be shipped around the world on a carbon-negative basis.

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Photo: ®Jørn Allan Pedersen/ Visitnorway.com

Lofoten Arctic Water

Lofoten Arctic Water is a premium brand of bottled water from nature's paradise, the Lofoten Islands in the North of Norway.

Imagine yourself far north, in the arctic islands of Lofoten, far away from pollution, traffic, or industrial areas. Imagine walking in the mountains that take you back to the beginning of life. (Lofoten mountains are of Precambrian eruptive origin and 3.5 billion years old, among the oldest mountains on earth.)

You feel thirsty – and you see water. You bend down and drink from your hands, and feel the clean cold arctic water refreshing your body and mind knowing that what you drink is pure, safe, fresh, and unique. This is what Lofoten Arctic Water is all about.

The source of Lofoten Arctic Water is so pure that it is the only water on the premium market that does not require any filtering or distillation while remaining high in quality and purity. It is one of the purest and best-tasting natural drinking waters in the world.

If you would like to experience Lofoten, we highly recommend our Legendary Lofoten tour!