Tucked deep in 5,000 acres of virgin forest beneath a bed of rich soil, 600 km north of Montreal, a most unique spring flows. The natural water source of pure, crisp, unaltered, Eska.
The source was born over 9,000 years ago when a glacier melted and transformed into an underground river called an esker. To this day, pure rain and snow seep into the ground and naturally filter through the esker’s gravel, sand, and glacial pebbles to become Eska—Quebec’s own Natural Spring Water. Eska’s source was discovered nearly 4,000 years ago and is protected by the Saint-Mathieu-Lac-Berry esker itself.
The esker is the result of thousands of years of nature following her true nature. In the last Ice Age, rising temperatures thawed glaciers and unleashed mass quantities of water, which led to the creation of a high-flowing river and mass sediment deposits that gradually formed Eska’s esker. The result is a 2 km-wide, multi-layered ridge of sediments, sand, and gravel that extends 125 km across the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of northern Quebec.
Instead of burying the river completely, the esker’s fine layers protect it, while their granular qualities allow snow and rain to slowly seep through. It’s a natural filtration system masterminded by Mother Nature herself to produce some of the purest water on the planet. And because its granular soil holds such an impressive volume of water, it also boasts the highest natural recharge of any spring in Quebec.
Eska spring water is naturally filtered as it gently flows through Canadian glacial sediments. A filtration system with zero human intervention that gives Eska its pure, land-crafted taste. The process, which can last for 15 years to multiple lifetimes, is a product of nature simply doing its thing. Because northern Quebec precipitation is isolated from pollution and boasts unparalleled purity, Eska starts out as pristine as rain and snow. And since nature is so generous here, the source is constantly replenished.
The natural filtration process flows like this: precipitation accumulates in a vast forest, far removed from human activity. It seeps down into raw soil and into the esker, where it slowly, meticulously and naturally filters through several layers of glacial sediments, sand and gravel.
It is a geological journey that produces some of the purest, best-tasting water in the world. Naturally pure, directly from the source, and made from 100%, untouched Canadian land. Eska is pure and clean in both taste and composition. The esker maintains the spring at a low 5°C, which safeguards its purity. And the glacial rocks leave the most perfect tiny trace of mineral salts giving Eska its clean, natural and unaltered purely Canadian taste.
The esker source is a natural filtration system that delivers water so pristine and clear that no further processing is needed. Eska comes straight out of the source with an optimally low mineral salt count of just 85 parts per million to ensure its pure, clean and exceptional taste. And with a healthy pH of 7.8, Eska is one of the most naturally alkaline spring waters anywhere.
Eska is never altered, demineralized, distilled, or treated—chemically or otherwise—keeping it totally safe with a taste that’s consistently true to nature. The esker’s natural filtration system means there’s no need for us to add ozone, fluoride or chlorine. And to maintain all this natural purity, we keep the bottling process almost completely free of human intervention. All so we can deliver the pure, crisp, land-crafted taste of Eska. Just as nature intended.