Thirsti Water: a story millions of years in the making

182 million years, more or less, beginning in the early Jurassic period, when the Drakensberg Mountains were being formed by the breakup of the supercontinent, Gondwana. 

The stretching and folding of the earth’s tectonic plates caused by that breakup allowed intrusions of lava to rise to the surface, where they cooled to form the hard, weather-resistant basaltic rock that’s now the backbone of those majestic mountains.

But, of course, the Drakensberg isn’t only made of basalt: other types of rock have been laid down in the region over the eons, too - including a fossil-rich sandstone called the Normandien Formation, which occurs only in one small area centred on the Normandien Farm near the border between the Free State and KwaZulu Natal Provinces. 

From this rare combination of igneous and sedimentary rocks pours a spring of South Africa’s rarest and healthiest water: the spring that produces Thirsti.

The Normandien Spring

Unlike many farms in the area, Normandien hasn’t been owned by one family for generations - so the value of the water from the spring wasn’t always known to the present owners. 

But the owners aren’t the only people in the region...

One day in the early 2000s, the farm manager found a group of people from a neighbouring community filling their bowser from the spring. They told him they’d been doing this every weekend for years. 

“But why?” he said. “Why travel so far from home? Surely you have a closer, more convenient supply?”

“Well, this isn’t just any water,” they replied. “It quenches your thirst like no other.”

Curious, the manager sent it for testing.

It had a pH of 8.9.

Water with a pH that high isn’t common. In fact, most of the water we consume falls in the range of 6.5 - 7.5. (In chemistry, a pH of 7 is neutral: anything lower than 7 is acid; above 7 is alkaline). 

Alkaline water: best for you

While water with a low pH can be bad for you, alkaline water has numerous benefits*: 

• It’s a natural antioxidant that can help prevent the formation of cell-damaging free radicals in your body;
• It helps neutralise harmful radicals;
• It helps reduce risk factors associated with heart disease;
• It helps reduce toxic overload that leads to low energy, inflammation, and food sensitivities;
• It can help with weight loss; and
• It reduces acid reflux, helps improve bone health, boosts your immune system, and hydrates your body.

Recognising immediately that this was a resource that would benefit both the local community and the country at large, the owners of Normandien invested in the most up-to-date bottling plant and the highest grade of staff training - thus immediately upskilling many of its neighbours - and Thirsti Water came into being. 

Get Thirsty at 34

The Thirsti story is the kind of lekker story we love! It goois the right kind of attitude, it leaves the right kind of taste in the mouth - and that’s why we’re proud to stock it here at 34 South.

Thirsti Water: thirsti.co.za

* These claims are all backed up by studies from peer-reviewed journals.