Luxury five-star hotel Bovey Castle in Dartmoor National Park has recently obtained a Silver award for Green Tourism, with Devon-based spring water company Devonia spotlighted in the application after a successful first year of partnership.
Devonia prides itself on being the only spring water company in the south of England with a business model centred around reusing glass bottles, which ensures their bottles are refilled on average eight times. To showcase this important message to consumers, Devonia introduced a new brand identity this year, which features their collect, wash and reuse process.
Bovey Castle’s General Manager, Dean Gunston, said: “We highlighted in our submission for our Green Tourism accreditation that we stock Devonia Spring Water. It is a product that we purchase in volume and use on a day-to-day basis. The transition to Devonia, with their full recycling process, has improved our sustainable practices considerably. In addition, the locality of the business for deliveries to the hotel creates fewer food miles and is much better environmental practice. Devonia has become part of the Bovey Castle offering, in our aim to showcase the best of local products and reduce our carbon footprint. We will continue to work on our sustainability journey to achieve Gold status.”
Dean shared why he feels it’s important to stock brands such as Devonia: “Devonia enables us to offer our guests a quality product which is locally sourced and meets our sustainable goals, emphasising a positive environmental message. It’s important to support a fantastic local family-run business with a great ethos and sustainable journey for its product. We receive lots of positive feedback about Devonia from our guests.”
Director, Fiona Graham, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating a year of supplying the stunning Bovey Castle, fulfilling all their bottled water needs and helping them to improve their sustainability credentials and gain Green Tourism accreditation. They are the perfect example of a luxury hotel aligning with a business that offers a sustainable, local product and a practical solution to industry problems. Reusing bottles instead of recycling means a longer life for every bottle. Our process makes a difference to not only us but also to the environment and our customers within the hospitality and catering industry. We help them to save costs and energy, and reduce their impact on the environment, whilst providing a great product that is key to any drinks menu.”
Over its 19 years of trading, collecting and reusing its water bottles from hotels, pubs, cafes, restaurants, special events and private customers across Devon has saved a staggering 187 tonnes of glass from going to landfill. The traditional wash and reuse system dramatically reduces not only its own but also its customers’ carbon footprint and improves their environmental impact.
Since the start of 2024, Devonia has sold 147,724 bottles of water and reused an impressive 125,565, which is a re-use rate of 85%. Washing and refilling the bottles uses just 6% of the energy required to recycle glass, reducing CO2 by 94%. And of course, it doesn’t generate any plastic pollution that would ultimately go into the world’s oceans.
Devonia’s water is bottled at source from a spring that bubbles up on the edge of a meadow near the villages of Beeson and Beesands, less than a mile from the sea. Available in both still and sparkling and in 330ml or 750ml bottles, the water has a natural soft taste that’s proven to be incredibly popular with customers.
Along with Bovey Castle Hotel & Spa, Devonia can also be enjoyed in many more establishments across the south west including the Harbour Beach Club, Burgh Island Hotel, Sidmouth Harbour Hotel, Salcombe Harbour Hotel, Hotel Endsleigh, Gara Rock Hotel, South Sands Hotel and The Salutation Inn.
For more information on Devonia, visit www.devoniawater.co.uk. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
