When two retired farmers were drilling a well for a personal water source on their LeRoy property in 2005, they were in for a big surprise.
    Ben and Diane Nolt, who live in the southwest corner of Fillmore County, between Chester and LeRoy, Minn., discovered there was much more water lying dormant under the ground on their farmland than they could ever use for a personal well.     They also soon discovered the quality of the water was some of the purest in North America.
    While drilling for their well, an artesian water source was unexpectedly discovered. The water shot high in the air after coming to the surface without a pump.
    After finding the water had a good, pure taste, and doing much research on bottling water, the Nolts, retired farmers, decided to open a water bottling facility. Ben Nolt said he expects the facility, located at 10601 State Hwy. 56 East near LeRoy, Minn., will be fully operational late this week.
    The first step was to test the water’s quality, Ben Nolt said. An analytical report from the National Testing Laboratories revealed that the water is of high quality, with a pH of 7, which means  it is perfectly balanced, according to Nolt. The report stated the water would provide a good source for drinking and commercial sale.
    “It’s the best water for bottled water you can possibly get,” Ben Nolt said.
    After two years of exploring and researching, the couple contacted the Minnesota Department of Health to check if the well would be okay for bottling water. The Department of Health declared it okay, and in April of 2007, the Nolts decided to proceed with developing the bottled water facility.
    Ben Nolt named the company Artesian Fresh, Inc. and the brand Artesian Fresh, “Drinking water at its best.”
    Artesian Fresh, Inc. will only bottle natural artesian water straight from the Nolts’ source. The water then goes through a five-step filtering process and ozonation process to kill any bacteria present and to prevent bacteria and viruses from growing.
    The water flows through a completely sealed delivery system, free of human contact and never exposed to the environment until it is filled in bottles.
    Rick Bollman, owner of Upper Iowa Construction, Inc., installed a wall in the water bottling facility, which is housed in a building Ben Nolt formerly used for his seed and chopping business.
    “It’s probably some of the purest water in North America,” Bollman said.
    Bottles will be made on site, along with labels for each bottle. Ben Nolt said he decided to make the bottles on site because it is more cost effective, it saves warehouse space and there is less possibility for contamination than if they purchase the bottles elsewhere.
    Water will be bottled in a variety of sizes, including nine, 12, 16.9 and 20 ounces, one liter, and one, four and five gallons. The company will also provide customized, private labeling to help others market their business, personalize an event or promote an organization or school.
    The facility has the capability of producing 45,000 water bottles per day,  enough to fill a semi-truck.
    The plant has created eight new jobs, five full-time and three part-time. New positions created include an office manager, public relations/marketing director and a business development and operations manager. Nolt said he expects more employees will be needed as the company grows.
    Though the company created some new jobs, they will minimize manual labor, instead using automated machinery to do much of the work, in an effort to increase efficiency.
    Artesian Fresh has already received attention from distributors on both the east and west coast. East coast distributors have already placed orders with the LeRoy company. Nolt said the water will be sold locally as well, but exact stores that will carry the product have not yet been determined.
    The facility will be heated and air conditioned using an energy-saving geothermal system.
    Ben Nolt was optimistic about the opening of he and his wife’s new business.
    “I’ve been in agriculture 40 years. I’m just harvesting a different kind of crop now,” Nolt said.