Since August 27 naturally carbonated water has been flowing from a fountain in the Bulgarian village of Mihalkovo near Devin. On this occasion we contacted Dimitar Dulguchev - head of a company producing bottled mineral water in the region, who told us about the initiative:

“This Saturday we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first bottling of naturally carbonated mineral water in Bulgaria. The fountain was built in order to mark this anniversary. We decided to build a fountain near the bottling factory. According to the old Bulgarian traditions, when you want to leave something behind, you need to build a fountain for people. The fountain is part of the folklore of Bulgarians, a symbol of life and water is a symbol of purification. Residents of Mihalkovo and its guests can now try this naturally carbonated water. The fountain will be an attraction to many tourists fascinated by the landscapes of the Rhodope Mountains, the local songs and dances and impressed by the spirit of the local people.”

The water from just three mineral springs in the world comes close in taste and quality to that of Mihalkovo: Vichy France, Borjomi in Georgia and Fahingen in Germany. The water source is 70 meters deep and the water has a temperature of 24 ° C. The spring was discovered in 1936 and in 1939 the people of Mihalkovo decided to turn water into their main occupation. In 1956 the first bottle of Mihalkovo water was filled and it was exhibited at the Plovdiv International Fair.

The naturally carbonated mineral water from the village has a number of medicinal properties. It helps in restoring mineral balance in the body and is beneficial in treating a number diseases of the digestive tract (gastritis, colitis, stomach ulcers), abnormal metabolism (obesity, diabetes), kidney and urological diseases (especially in struvite stones), cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the musculoskeletal system (osteoporosis), chronic inflammation of the gums, tooth decay in children and adults, chronic heavy metal poisoning…

Dimitar Dulguchev told us more about his plans related to the marketing of the mineral water:

“Mihalkovo exports about four percent of its production abroad. This year we plan to launch a new bottling line, which will increase productivity by about 40 percent and will reduce the amount of used raw materials and produced waste. We will expand our distribution network in north-western Bulgaria and in other areas. We are also working towards export of our products. Our company participates with samples of its products at the Bulgarian stand in the Free Trade Zone in Shanghai, China, which was opened on August 25. Free zones are an initiative of the Chinese government and a successful model for trade and influx of foreign companies in their market. Mihalkovo participated with samples in the first stand, which opened on October 28 last year in Hangzhou. I hope that our participation in these formats would lead to more interest towards our products on the huge Asian market.”

On its path towards the surface, "Mihalkovo" mineral water goes through various rocks and minerals and absorbs carbon dioxide in a natural way. The mix of minerals and other elements contained in it are beneficial to health turning water into a refreshing and energizing drink. But can it be dangerous? According to Dimitar Dulguchev, consumption of naturally carbonated mineral water should not be excessive and spring water with low mineral content, suitable for daily use by the whole family, should also be consumed.

English: Alexander Markov