When it comes to Mineral Wells's return to becoming a health and wellness destination, one can say it starts with the locally sourced, mineral-rich waters that spawned an industry and built the town a century ago.
That all points directly to Crazy Water, the local mineral water brand known across Texas, the nation and around the world. It has been bottled and shipped from Mineral Wells also for more than a century. Today, Crazy Water is available in various forms and flavors, including the special blend and new flavors that come in bottles of 1877, the brand and label exclusively in HEB stores.
Famous Water Co. co-owner Carol Elder (pictured above right with Program Chair Virginia Smith) was Wednesday's guest speaker. Carol gave club members the history of the once separate Famous Water and Crazy Water brands. She and her husband, Scott, regrew the company after they acquired it in 1999. several years ago they made the move to begin bottling their products in-house. They acquired the original Crazy Water bottling plant that for years has been known to locals as The Box Factory building.
The box manufacturer still operates within the building located on the west side of downtown, a block away from the Famous Water pavilion, but most of the iconic property has been transformed back into a modern water bottling and distribution plant.
Carol said the alliance with HEB to private label the 1877 product (which touts Mineral Wells on every bottle and case and is named for when the original well was tapped) required the company expand its production lines, add employees and put most of its resources into meeting the demands of the popular glass-bottled carbonated drink.The drink now comes in new flavors – lime and mango.
She said now that the company has been able to catch up to 1877's production demand, she said they are ready to shift more focus back to its Crazy Water lines, which includes the original blends and is also available in glass and carbonated form with Crazy Fizz.
But that is not all that is keeping Carol busy these days. She is heavily engaged in the local health and wellness revival. Long an outdoor recreation destination, Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County is engaged in a return to its roots as a health and wellness destination for those health seekers seeking overall improvements to their physical and mental health.
Carol is helping lead classes and programs related to the “Healthy Mineral Wells” initiatives. Hopes are to have Mineral Wells and the county designated as an official healthy and wellness community and making us, “The Health and Wellness Capital of Texas.”
Be watching for upcoming classes that focus on mental and physical health.
Thank you, Carol, for returning to the club to talk about eh success of your business, and the new movement toward healthier living and lifestyles that will once again put Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County on the map for the heath and wellness traveler.