Eska Water
| Market | Canada |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Eska Inc. (Eaux Vives Water Inc.) |
| Introduced | 2005 |
| Source | Saint-Mathieu–Lac-Berry esker, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec |
| Type | Still and sparkling |
| pH | 7.9 |
| Bromine (Br) | 0 |
| Calcium (Ca) | 24 |
| Chloride (Cl) | 0 |
| Fluoride (F) | 0 |
| Magnesium (Mg) | 4.0 |
| Nitrate (NO3) | 0.40 |
| Potassium (K) | 0.9 |
| Sodium (Na) | 2.4 |
| Sulfate (SO4) | 7.2 |
| TDS | 86[1] |
| Website | www |
| All concentrations in milligrams per liter (mg/L); pH without units | |
Eska (stylized ESKA) is a Canadian brand of bottled water drawn from the Saint-Mathieu–Lac-Berry esker in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec. Corporate offices are in Laval, Quebec, and bottling occurs beside the source in Saint-Mathieu-d'Harricana, Quebec.[2]
History
Commercial bottling began in the early 2000s under the name "Esker Natural Spring Water", then owned and operated by Eaux Vives Harricana for Parmalat.[3] In 1999, Eaux Vives Harricana announced their intentions to invest over CA$37 million into starting a bottling plant in Quebec's Abitibi region,[4] in which water was collected from an esker. By 2003, the brand sold bottled water nationally.[5] The brand was relaunched in the mid-2000s as Eska following corporate restructuring under Eaux Vives Water Inc.[6]
Expansion continued over the following decade. In 2009, the company added a bottling line and created new positions at the plant.[7] In 2017, increased demand for carbonated products saw part of the production handled on a Montreal line while still using water from the same esker.[8]
Water sales
Eska sells still and carbonated spring water across Canada. Trade media reported the firm’s transition to bottles made from 100% recycled PET (rPET) beginning 2019–2021,[9][10] while grocery listings and product registries document retail availability and note that carbonation is added at bottling.[11][12]
Controversies
In 2018, a CBC Marketplace investigation using a fluorescent-tagging method reported microplastics in several bottled-water brands sold in Canada, including Eska.[13] The Canadian Beverage Association responded that standardized, peer-reviewed protocols were needed to interpret such results.[14]
See also
References
- ^ "ESKA Bottled Water Report (NSF test results)" (PDF). Eska Water. March 2012.
Calcium 24 mg/L; Magnesium 4.0 mg/L; Sodium 2.4 mg/L; Potassium 0.9 mg/L; Sulfate 7.2 mg/L; Chloride ND; Fluoride ND; Nitrate (as N) 0.09 mg/L ≈ 0.40 mg/L as NO3; TDS 86 mg/L; pH 7.93.
- ^ "Eaux Vives Harricana – Usine d'embouteillage (eau Eska)". DAWCO (in French).
- ^ "Un syndicat à la nouvelle usine d'embouteillage de l'eau de source naturelle Esker". Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (in French). April 2, 2003.
- ^ Turcotte, Calude (August 4, 1999). "Eaux vives Harricana se lance dans la mêlée". Le Devoir (in Catalan). p. 10. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "Bottled water extracted from esker located in Quebec". The Hamilton Spectator. The Canadian Press. July 9, 2003. p. 21. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "ESKA, une eau de glacier". Debeur (in French). 2007.
- ^ "Eska : Eaux Vives Water crée 25 nouveaux emplois". TVA Nouvelles (in French). August 26, 2009.
- ^ "L'eau Eska désormais gazéifiée à Montréal à cause de sa trop grande popularité". ICI Radio-Canada (in French). February 7, 2017.
- ^ "ESKA moves to 100-per-cent recycled plastic bottles in 2020". Foodservice and Hospitality. December 11, 2019.
- ^ "ESKA announces the complete transition to 100% recycled plastic bottles". Canadian Manufacturing. March 31, 2021.
- ^ "Eau de source gazéifiée (product listing)". Metro (in French). Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ "Eau De Source Gazéifiée". Aliments du Québec (in French). Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ "Microplastics found in some Canadian bottled water". CBC News. April 6, 2018.
- ^ "CBA & CBWA statement in response to CBC Marketplace study" (Press release). Canadian Beverage Association. March 16, 2018. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2025.