The water manufacturer Aquanika, part of Gennady Timchenko’s Volga Group, has signed a contract with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) for the use of its “Murom Source” trademark, according to Rospatent data. “Akvanika” will produce bottled artesian water under this brand, Vladimir Ivanov, general director of “Akvanika”, told RBC

Owner of Volga Group Gennady Timchenko (Photo: ITAR-TASS)

“Murom source is artesian drinking water produced with the blessing of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' on lines consecrated by Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk,” this is how the new brand is described on the Aquaniki website. Water is sold in bottles of 0.25 and 0.618 liters.

Ivanov clarified that the partnership between Aquanika and the Russian Orthodox Church for water production began back in 2012. According to him, the “Murom Source” trademark belongs to the financial and economic management of the Russian Orthodox Church. The use of a trademark is not free, he noted, but did not name the amount of payments, citing commercial secrets. “Muromsky Istochnik” is a product in the mass price segment, one of whose competitors can be considered “Sacred Istochnik”, added Ivanov.

According to the general director of Aquanika, the share of Murom Source in the company’s sales is no more than 5%. According to SPARK, Aquanika’s revenue for 2013 amounted to 823.4 million rubles, that is, sales of mineral water from the Russian Orthodox Church could amount to a little more than 40 million rubles.

President of the Russian Guild of Marketers Igor Berezin says that when more than 10 years ago the Russian Orthodox Church launched a similar project with “Holy Source” water, the royalty for using the trademark was estimated at approximately 5% of the wholesale price (50 kopecks from 10 rubles) of a bottle of water.

The size of the royalty in the case of the Murom Source is impossible to guess, because “the branding history of this brand is zero,” one of the founders of the Russian Guild of Marketers, Igor Bruk, is categorical. According to him, if Aquanika pays some kind of royalties, then “this is not a market story, and the amount can be any.”

A representative of the financial and economic management of the Russian Orthodox Church clarified to RBC that the water is sold in Moscow, the Moscow region and other regions. The project, according to him, was launched specifically to finance the “200 Temples” program for the construction and reconstruction of churches, and “Akvanika” was chosen as a partner, most likely because the general director and owner of this company wanted to participate in this, essentially, charitable program. In 2012, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill awarded Timchenko the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, 1st degree.

LLC "Akvanika" - producer of drinking water "Akvanika" and soft drinks under the brand "Ministry of Soda", founded in 2007. Own production launched in 2011 Nizhny Novgorod region, capacity - up to 500 million liters per year. Investments - about 4 billion rubles. The company belongs to Gennady Timchenko’s Volga Group, and along with other assets of the businessman, it came under international sanctions that were introduced in March 2014.

Muromsky Source mineral water is also produced by Krona LLC, but in different volumes and designs. The production is located in the village of Malyshevo, Selivanovsky district, Vladimir region, and the company, according to SPARK, belongs to Nadezhda Vukolova and Alexander Shirshov (51% and 49%, respectively). A company representative said that Krona has been producing “Murom Source” since 2006, and it has a patent for this name.

A representative of the Financial and Economic Department of the Russian Orthodox Church said that the department had identified organizations that sell water under the same brand, one of them is located in the Vladimir region. “We have no right to make claims and lawsuits, they have different bottles and labels, and they bottle in a different region, but they cause us little damage,” he explained. The company Gorodissky and Partners, which worked in the interests of Aquanika, refused to comment on the situation, citing an agreement with the client.

As of November 25, not a single case challenging the corresponding trademark in the file index Arbitration courts not registered on the Electronic Justice website.

To finance the construction of churches, the Russian Orthodox Church also entered into an agreement with the Bank of Moscow (the entire commission from the use plastic cards The “Gift to the Shrine” is transferred to a special fund) and telecom operators - MTS, MegaFon and Beeline help collect donations via SMS.

The Swiss company Nestle is selling its business for the production of bottled mineral water "Holy Spring" to the Russian-Ukrainian IDS Group (which also owns a license for the Borjomi deposit in Georgia), Kommersant writes.

The Russian office of Nestle clarified to the newspaper that IDS Group will acquire 100% of Kostroma-based Aqua Star LLC, which produces Holy Spring. The buyer was the Cypriot structure of IDS, explained group representative Anna Polyanskaya. At the same time, the Nestle Waters division will continue to produce Nestlé Pure Life bitylated water in Russia with delivery to the office and home, as well as distribute imported brands Perrier, Vittel and San Pellegrino.

Nestle acquired Sacred Spring from company founder John King in July 2002, Kommersant recalls. Annual consumption of bottled water in Russia is one of the lowest in Europe - 8 liters per person, but the expected annual market growth reaches 20%, the company explained then. The amount of the transaction was never disclosed in its reporting, but in 2002 market participants estimated the value of the Holy Spring at approximately $50 million. The deal immediately made Nestle the third largest producer of drinking water in Russia after PepsiCo (Aqua Minerale) and Coca-Cola Co ( Bonaqua).

The Russian-Ukrainian IDS Group owns the Mirgorod, Morshinsky and Truskavets mineral water factories in Ukraine, the Edelweiss plant in the Lipetsk region, as well as a license for the extraction of mineral water at the Borjomi deposit in Georgia. Key brands are “Edelweiss”, “Edelakva”, “Morshinska”, “Old Mirgorod”, “Truskavetska”.

According to Comcon data, since 2002 the Holy Source brand has been losing its popularity, writes Kommersant. Thus, in 2002, 47% of all mineral water consumers knew the brand, in 2008 - only 37%. Seven years ago, 10.5% of respondents called themselves loyal consumers of the “Holy Source” (they drink this brand most often), but now only 5.9%. At the same time, the number of consumers of competing brands - Aqua Minerale, BonAqua, Essentuki - has, on the contrary, been growing all these years. In terms of production volumes, "Holy Source" now occupies only 2% of the market (ACNielsen estimate), Vedomosti notes.

Nestle was practically not involved in the development of the Holy Source, concentrating its investments in Russia on the production of animal feed and coffee, Dmitry Alefanov, director of the Tsar-Grad distribution company, tells Kommersant. According to Business Analytics, at the end of 2008, the share of the Holy Source in in monetary terms in the capital it was 6%, and in the 30 largest cities of the country - 3.1%. “It is obvious that Nestle has now sold the Holy Source for an amount significantly less than what it paid in 2002,” Alefanov believes. IDS will focus on marketing

movement, Vedomosti writes. If Nestle, after purchasing the company, removed the inscription “Bottled with the blessing” from the labels of the “Holy Spring” His Holiness Patriarch", then IDS, according to the company manager, has already received approval from the Kostroma diocese.

Previously, people drank water directly from the tap or boiled it. And now they sell water to plastic bottles as if we were living in the desert. It is especially strange when it is also called “Holy Spring”. I will never believe that the bottles that fill the whole country are filled from one spring! Gennady Petrov, Vladimir

AiF decided to check where the water in plastic bottles comes from. It was not difficult to contact the management of the Swiss company Nestlé, which acquired the Holy Source several years ago. It turned out that there is only one plant for the production of this water in Russia - in Kostroma.

The AiF correspondent went to Kostroma. They drilled surprisingly, but the Kostroma residents themselves only know about the Nestlé factory that it exists. Somewhere on the outskirts of the city. “I don’t buy this water,” the taxi driver frankly took me to the “Holy Spring.” “Half a liter costs 15 rubles. We have many clean springs around the city, almost every one has a production facility and produces water. And they are all bottles of 7 rubles are sold, half the price of the “Holy Source”.

The factory is located in the forest. There were signs along the sides of the road: “Throwing garbage is prohibited. Ecologically clean area.” There were heaps of garbage lying around them. What about" sanitary standards"? "It's still clean here now,” said one worker. “There used to be a cemetery nearby, people threw more garbage.” Now there is a factory here. Every hour huge trucks drove inside. They came out full of bottles.

Between the buildings, only two went deep underground steel pipes, and powerful pumps pumped water. In the first years of its existence, the producers of the “Holy Spring” actually took water not from a well, but from a natural source. Spring water still comes out of the ground, only not here, but in the neighboring village of Volodin. Previously, cars would come there, fill tanks with water, and take them to the factory to “finish it up”—pass it through filters, add the necessary substances, and bottle it. This same source became holy: at the request of entrepreneurs, the Patriarchate consecrated it. But then the factory began to gain momentum, and with industrial production Mother Nature couldn't cope with holy water. The manufacturers stopped transporting water in barrels, found a free plot of land, and drilled a well. No one began to consecrate the pipes.

Nestlé has big plans to expand production. You just have to take into account Russia's unpredictable nature. For example, the nuclear power plant built near Kostroma. For 10 years now, local environmentalists have been fighting to prevent her from starting work. Recently they even held a referendum. However, interested parties are demanding that the nuclear power plant be launched. How the matter will end is still unknown. If the station starts operating, the question of the safety of the water produced in its district will come up.

Selling water in Russia seems to be a profitable business. No wonder factories work 24 hours a day. In order to drill a well and pump water from underground, it is enough to obtain a license from local authorities. In Kostroma, officials did not recall a single case where someone was turned away. For each extracted from the ground cubic meter The state must pay a tax of 210 rubles. So for every 15-ruble bottle of the “Holy Spring” the state receives a fee for use natural resources- 10 kopecks.

You can estimate the profit of producers yourself. Moreover, water consumption is growing every year, and it is easy and cheap to fake it - pour it from the tap, or, in extreme cases, add soda, add carbon dioxide... In 2001, the State Trade Inspectorate discovered such a mixture in every tenth bottle of mineral water, in 2002 - already in every fifth.

Marina Lvova, Kostroma - Moscow

In the vicinity of the city of Kostroma, on the territory of the local Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, natural spring water is extracted from a well, which is known under the brand “Holy Source”. Its quality is confirmed by the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Russian Federation, and it complies with generally accepted international standards.

Russian Orthodox Church at the origins of the “Holy Spring”

In the early nineties of the last century, the head of the Kostroma religious school, Alexander Androsov, convinced his management that it was possible to make money by selling environmentally friendly clean water. And its source could be water from springs on one of the plots belonging to the Kostroma Orthodox Diocese. At the same time, other places where it was possible to organize its extraction and bottling were also considered. Including traditional natural sources of “holy” water in Moscow and the Moscow region.

Start of production, role and contribution of the Kostroma Diocese

In the process of searching for potential investors, the choice fell on American businessman John King, who lives in California. Before that, he successfully mastered the plastics production business. With his participation, in 1992, they created the company "Saint Springs Water", registered in Cyprus, which became the owner trademark"Holy spring".

For the extraction and sale of water in Russia, CJSC Rodniki was created, registered in 1993 in the administration of the city of Kostroma. The founders of this structure were the local Epiphany-Anastasia convent and the Kostroma diocese. On the board of directors of Rodniki were Archbishop of Kostroma and Galicia Alexander and the abbess convent Abbess Innokentia.

Until 2002, the Holy Spring water openly advertised its belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church. So, on the container into which the water was poured, there was an inscription: “With the blessing of Bishop Alexander of Kostroma and Galicia.” There was also a record that part of the profits from the sale of products goes to the restoration of churches.

In the year the production began, the label mentioned its blessing by Patriarch Alexy II.

New owner - Nestle

After a decade successful implementation drinking water “Holy Spring”, Nestle bought its production and rights from John King in 2002. At that time, Russia consumed approximately 8 liters of bottled water per person per year, which was one of the lowest figures in Europe. But at the same time, the annual market growth was almost 20%.

There is no data on the amount of the transaction, but according to preliminary estimates, the cost of the brand and production of the “Holy Source” was about 50 million US dollars. After Nestle acquired this brand, it entered the top three, taking third place after PepsiCo (Aqua Minerale) and Coca-Cola Co (Bon Aqua).

Problems of the Holy Source brand

Some time after the purchase, the inscription about the “Holy Spring” belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church was removed from the labels.

Further developments in the situation around the Kostroma plant showed that Nestle had actually stopped working to promote the brand. Her main efforts are Russian Federation were focused on producing feed and selling coffee. By 2008, the company's share of profit from sales of bottled water "Holy Source" in Russia was about 6% (in Moscow), and in other regions - a little more than 3%.

Since 2002, the brand gradually began to lose its popularity. In the first year after the transfer to the new owner, this brand was recognized by almost 50% of drinking water consumers in the country, and in 2008 it was already about 30%.

The share of Holy Spring water in relation to all bottled water produced in Russia fell from 10.5% to 2%. At the same time, Nestle's competitors have only increased their production of water with similar characteristics and significantly increased their profits.

Attempts to implement the Russian market drinking water decorated with labels with characters from the popular film epic “Star Wars”. Rejection was caused by the placement next to the name “Holy Spring” of images of “Darth Vader”, soldiers of the forces of evil, hairy “Chewie” and the frog-like “Master Yoda”.

New owners - IDSBorjomiInternational, Alfa Group

In 2009, Nestle sold the production of “Holy Spring”. The new owner, IDS Borjomi International, was created in 2004 with funds from the well-known oligarchs Boris Berezovsky and Badri Patarkatsishvilli (now deceased). By that time, their structure owned well-known and recognizable brands: in Russia - the Edelweiss plant in the Lipetsk region; factories in Ukraine producing bottled water “Truskovetskaya”, “Morshinskaya”, “Mirgorodskaya”.

IDS Borjomi International owns a license to produce water in Georgia, at the Borjomi field, as well as to sell drinking water under the brands “Borjomi”, “Bakuriani”, “Mitarbi”.

In 2013, IDS Borjomi was bought by the transnational corporation Alfa Group, owned by Peter Aven and Mikhail Fridman.

Origin of the “Holy Spring” water

It is extracted from wells located in an ecologically clean area of ​​the city of Kostroma, which is surrounded by a protected sanitary zone. The measures taken, as manufacturers assure, exclude contamination with various harmful compounds and bacteria. The plant where the water is bottled has everything you need modern equipment. The wells themselves are registered in the state Water Cadastre of the Russian Federation.

The underground reservoir from which drinking water is brought to the surface of the earth was formed during the ancient Ice Age. It has a natural cleansing system, which consists of clay, sand and coal. Circulating through their layers, the water is enriched with mineral salts that can satisfy the daily human need for microelements and minerals.

Initially, the problem of choosing a location for water intake and drilling wells was taken seriously. All underground natural storage facilities were carefully studied. As a result, we chose water that has a very favorable natural structure, which allows us to apply gentle purification methods to it. As a result, what actually hits the shelves is natural product, with an unchanged composition that has retained exceptional characteristics and properties.

Medical studies have confirmed that the organoleptic properties of the Holy Spring mineral water are quite high. It is transparent, there is no sediment, and there is no odor. The water is soft, pleasant to drink, and quenches thirst quite well. The Russian Academy of Medical Sciences of the Russian Federation allows the use of this water for preparing baby food.

Mineral composition of “Holy Spring Water” water: sulfates, chlorides, bicarbonates, magnesium, calcium, sodium + potassium.

Over the entire existence of the “Holy Source” brand, the containers in which it is bottled, as well as the labels, have been modified many times. From original church-like left a little. The church dome is only visible in silhouette. A flying dove appeared, which should symbolize spirituality, a feeling of ease in flight, as well as good mood. The fact that the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church was involved in the creation of the “Holy Source” trademark is present, but it is indicated on a small gold medal.

Good afternoon Dear friends. If I'm not mistaken, then mineral water Every person on earth knows the name “Holy Spring”. If this is not so, then tell me who does not know about it.

Well, now, let's talk about the topic of "Holy Spring" water.

What is it and how to handle it.

What is the uniqueness of the “Holy Spring” water, its uniqueness in its deposit and the location of this water. Ideal collection of minerals and useful substances in water, and thanks to this, water can and even is very useful to take daily. The water belongs to the category of still mineral water.

Key drinking water "Holy Spring" is the first bottled water on the Russian market. Is a leader among minerals drinking water in Russia. This water is also sold in the markets of almost all CIS countries.

The water is extracted from the Kostroma spring, which was formed during the Ice Age and has its own cleaning system filters. Cleans with sand, clay and coal. Passing through them, the water is enriched with useful substances and minerals.

Wells in Kostroma region, from which the Holy Spring water is extracted, are registered in the Water Cadastre of the Russian Federation. They are located in ecologically clean places in Kostroma, on the outskirts of its region, where there are ecologically clean places, air and land.

Water pollution with nitrogen-containing substances is completely eliminated here.

To ensure that the water here is always clean, everything here is equipped modern technologies and equipment. Thanks to this, “Holy Source” water is environmentally friendly and healthy water in Russia.

A careful approach to the places of water extraction allowed the use of gentle methods of water purification and preservation of all useful substances and minerals. As a result of all these procedures, you and I receive an environmentally friendly product that has retained all its beneficial properties and taste. Water "Holy Spring" has a specific taste of pure water from a real spring.

Water "Holy Spring" is very useful product and it is often prescribed to sick people, people who follow diets due to illness or in the postoperative period.

Also, in the modern fast pace of our lives, water is very useful for young people to feel inner harmony and tranquility.

The concept of water production is based on the fact that by connecting with nature and its beneficial properties, a person feels complete harmony and calmness of his soul and body.

I believe that “Holy Spring” water is the most delicious water of all types of water on our market.

Drink natural water and be healthy.

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