At some point in the 1980s, bottled water suddenly became a big thing.

Before that, it would have seemed absurd to say that bottled water was going to become

a multi-billion dollar industry.

I mean, come on, Jeff, they probably would have said in their high-powered boardroom, assuming

the CEO was called Jeff.

If people want to drink water, they've already got a tap for that, conveniently located

in their very own home, and it's basically free.

There's no way people are going to pay good money for a bottle of water any more than

they pay five dollars for a bottle of fresh air, or I don't know, five dollars for a cup

of coffee.

But of course, Jeff was right.

Because this wasn't any ordinary bottle of water.

This was mineral water.

So-called because it was full of healthy minerals, things like magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate,

sodium, and it had these things naturally, because this water was bottled directly at

the source, a geologically and physically protected source.

Not only that, but Jeff and friends gave this water a sophisticated, unpronounceable French

name, and then slapped a label on it that makes you feel like you're buying champagne

rather than good old-fashioned H2O.

There is something to this, of course.

I think all of us would much rather drink water from its pure source than drink that

same water once it's travelled a long way downstream and passed through all sorts of potential

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