Hundreds of years in the making, the water in this tiny Alabama town is a marvel

Walking into a massive barn about 50 miles north of Birmingham, the sight truly blew my mind. Before me sat a geological marvel—cool, calm, and collected. I had heard whispers about the Great Blue Spring in Blount County, but experiencing it firsthand, and tasting its output, was an absolute revelation.

A Hidden Alabama Gem

It is difficult to fathom that such a profound natural wonder exists quietly on local Alabama farmland. The spring is at the center of Blue Spring Living Water, a company founded by 60-year-old Cameron Cardwell. The hour-long commute from his Mountain Brook home to Blountsville gives Cardwell plenty of time to reflect on the growth of a business that is bringing world-class water from the spring straight to the bottle.

With a 12-member team, including his wife and VP of sales and marketing, Elizabeth Cardwell, the business is humming. "We are swimming upstream with our story of transparency," Elizabeth says. "We want people to know about the cleanest, healthiest water in the world."

Centuries of History

The Great Blue Spring has been a fixture of the region for generations. Local lore suggests the spring was discovered in the early 1800s by Davy Crockett and President Andrew Jackson during a hunting trip along the Black Warrior Trail. However, the water's journey is much older than that. Cameron Cardwell explains that the water flows through dolomite and limestone bedrock for hundreds of years before surfacing.

Spanning 60 feet wide and 45 feet deep, the spring produces roughly a million gallons daily. The water emerges at a crisp 52 degrees with a naturally balanced pH, enriched with silica, magnesium, and calcium. It is a level of purity that requires minimal intervention, utilizing only two filtration systems—one for sediment and another for sterilization via ozonation.

From Pasture to Premium Brand

The site has evolved significantly over the last century, having hosted baptisms and family reunions under the VanZandt family, before entrepreneur Ottis Shedd took ownership in the 1950s. Shedd founded the Blue Spring Water Company in 2004 at the age of 82. By 2017, Cardwell—who had built a career in marketing and film production—sought out a partnership with Shedd. The two men, separated by over four decades in age, formed a bond and a 90-year lease agreement to elevate the operation. Blue Spring Living Water officially launched in 2018.

Taking the World Stage

While the bottled water market is notoriously crowded, this Alabama-based team has secured a unique position. Beyond their standard water, the company produces Pneuma High Oxygen Spring Water and canned sparkling water. Their commitment to quality has been recognized by the Fine Water Society, which hosts prestigious annual taste competitions.

After earning a bronze medal in 2025, the brand reached new heights in 2026. The Blue Spring Sparkling Water claimed a silver medal in the latest Taste Awards, triumphing over a pool of more than 1,000 global entries. As COO Tom Lewis noted, this success places an Alabama-owned company in the same conversation as top-tier brands from Austria and France.

Today, Blue Spring Living Water is available in over 1,000 retail locations throughout the state, including Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Winn-Dixie, Food City, and Rouses Markets. With distribution partners like AlaBev and Water Way, plus home and business delivery options, the company is proving that a small-town operation with a big vision can compete on the global stage. Standing by the spring, it is easy to see why the founders are so proud—and it is a safe bet that even Davy Crockett would be impressed.