Sohat is a Lebanese brand of

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

that is the leading brand of

bottled water Bottled water is drinking water (e.g., well water, distilled water, mineral water, or spring water) packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not. Sizes range from small single serving bottles to lar ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, with a 35% market share.Nestle completes acquisition of Sohat , Al Bawaba
/ref> The water is light and crisp with low mineral content and almost no sodium.Green M. and Green Timothy. ''The best bottled waters in the world: the 150 purest, most delicious, and healthful waters from Ain Sofat to Zurich'', page 19 The brand was acquired by

Nestlé Waters Nestlé Waters is a Swiss multinational bottled water division of Nestlé it was founded in 1992. Key Facts and figures (2015) Sales: 7.625 billion CHF Nestlé Waters has roughly 31,740 employees and includes several brands such as Acqua Pa ...

Sources

Sohat water is bottled from the Falougha source at an altitude of 1,710 meters in Mount Lebanon. The area of the source, which is 100,000 m², is a protected environment to maintain the purity of the water. The water is purified by passing through various geological layers, starting with the melted snow that seeps through the permeable soil, then reaches a deep and impermeable layer where it is stored before spurting up to the surface through natural fissures.

History

In 1910, archeologist Habib Zoghzoghy rediscovered Ain Sohat while excavating Roman ruins in Falougha. Mootch & Muck, a New York-based multi-brand water distributor, distributed Sohat in the United States in the late 1980s. Société des Eaux Minérales Libanaises S.A.L., the producer of Sohat, was founded in 1970. In 1997, the company aided by Nestlé built an $8-million plant with capacity of 19,200 bottles per hour in Falougha. In 1999, Nestlé Group acquired 49% of Sohat as part of its expansion plan in mineral water. In 2001, Lebanon Perrier Vittel, the water division of Switzerland's Nestlé, purchased the remaining 51 per cent of its stake in Sohat. As of January 23, 2001, Société des Eaux Minérales Libanaises S.A.L. operates as a subsidiary of Nestle S.A.Société des Eaux Minérales Libanaises S.A.L.: Private Company Information - Businessweek
/ref> The Zoghzoghy family did not release the reason why they sold their share after 50 years of being at the helm of the water-bottling business.

In literature

*''In a Villa Far Away'' by Annabelle Hampton :"Giving up, saying I looked tired and pale, he produced a small bottle of Sohat Pure Water, 'from the springs of Lebanon' according to the label." *''American Psycho'' by Bret Easton Ellis :"You forgot Alpenwasser, Downunder, Sohat, which is from Lebanon, Qubol and Cold Springs--"

References

External links

Sohat - Nestlé Waters website
{dead link, date=May 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Nestlé brands Bottled water brands