The Source Of It All

The Source of It All

THIRSTI’s story began in the early 1990s when an entrepreneurial woman named Anneriet van Niekerk discovered something extraordinary – a pristine natural spring nestled at the foothills of the Klein Drakensberg.

For centuries, this hidden source had flowed untouched through the landscape, naturally filtered through layers of ancient rock formations that imparted exceptional purity, mineral balance and taste. The result was spring water of remarkable quality, with a refreshingly distinctive character that only nature could create.

At a time when bottled water was still a novelty in South Africa, Anneriet recognised that this spring was special. She began bottling the water and sharing it with others, introducing South Africans to a source of natural refreshment unlike anything they had experienced before.

A few years later, the Van Niekerk family sold the farm and bottling of the spring water came to a halt. Although production stopped, the spring continued to flow quietly and uninterrupted from its source within the Klein Drakensberg.

Years later, the farm had new owners and the spring remained largely forgotten – until one seemingly ordinary day changed everything.

One day whilst driving along the farm, the new owner noticed a truck with two large barrels of water. He drove up to the people and asked them what they were doing. A woman explained that she travelled to the spring every weekend to collect its water and had done so for years.

Confused, the farm owner asked why anyone would travel such a distance simply for water. The woman smiled and replied simply: this water was different. It had a taste unlike any other.

Sceptical at first, the owner accepted her offer to try it for himself. With that first sip, everything changed.

What he experienced was not just water, but something extraordinary – exceptionally pure, naturally balanced and refreshingly distinctive. It quenched thirst in a way that felt entirely unique. In that moment, he understood why people had travelled so far to collect it. He also knew he had discovered something too special to keep hidden.

That extraordinary spring inspired an extraordinary vision: to share nature’s finest refreshment with the world. That vision became THIRSTI.

Today, THIRSTI bottles natural spring water from protected natural sources, including our pristine spring in Tulbagh in the Western Cape. Guided by the same commitment to purity, quality and taste that inspired the original journey, every bottle reflects our passion for delivering exceptional natural refreshment.

More than three decades after the story began, our promise remains unchanged: pure spring water, sourced with care and bottled to preserve the taste and quality nature intended.

Because extraordinary things aren’t made by accident. They’re discovered and honoured.

THIRSTI. Extraordinary by Nature. From source to sip, every drop is designed to satisfy your THIRSTI.