Five years after the floods, Chaudfontaine is again experiencing double-digit growth

Exactly five years ago, the Vesder Valley was hit by a flash flood, which also left the Chaudfontaine mineral water bottling plant submerged under 3.5 meters of water. Since then, the brand has been growing rapidly again.

“Ambitious goals”

The destruction on July 14, 2021, was extensive, but the natural mineral water spring, located slightly higher up, was spared. “Just 33 days after the disaster, the first production lines were already up and running again,” says site director Achmed Boumrah during a commemorative ceremony at the site where a work of art was unveiled.

Since then, owner Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has invested heavily to make the site even more sustainable and future-oriented. This earned it the “Factory of the Future” designation. And sales followed: “In 2025, sales of our natural mineral water saw double-digit growth,” says Carl Lescroart, director of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Belgium & Luxembourg. “We have ambitious goals for the future. A great deal of investment and innovation is planned for Chaudfontaine in the coming years as well. That’s how we intend to continue this strong growth trend.” ​

The Chaudfontaine bottling plant employs 150 people, almost all of whom are from the province of Liège. Three production lines bottle more than 150 million liters of water, which is transported and distributed within a 250-kilometer radius: 76% in Belgium and 23% in the Netherlands.