Simpson Spring, located in Easton, dates back to 6,000 B.C. and was considered a source of healing waters by the Wampanoag tribe members who once lived there. In 1830, Samuel Simpson acquired the land on which it’s located. Decades later, his grandson began selling the water and experimenting with carbonation and flavorings to make soda in a lab that still sits on the site.

“We are the oldest bottling plant in the United States,” says co-owner Chris Bertarelli, whose father-in-law bought the land in 1988. “We’re the real thing, sitting in a protected woodland setting on 160 acres.”

Today, Simpson Spring bottles its pure product in one-, three- and five-gallon jugs and half-liter bottles, and features refill stations where bottles can be filled for 25 cents a gallon. Bertarelli says their product is unique because it comes naturally from the spring, unlike some bottled waters on the market that are fundamentally tap water.

“When you buy bottled water, you want to check the source,” she says. “Most bottled water has many different sources and it’s not clear if they’re real springs or if they’re digging down to get the water. A lot of big corporations have taken over the water industry.”

The Bertarellis offer tours of the spring, the old lab and bottling room, and the place where soda is currently made in such flavors as fruit punch, grape, coffee, sarsaparilla, root beer, ginger ale, lemon-lime and cream. “We make many of our extracts and syrups with spring water, juices and pure cane sugar,” Bertarelli notes. “I’m a total advocate of soda as an occasional treat. It used to be a special event for Sunday dinner, not something people consumed all day. We also have 12-ounce bottles of seltzer, which is 100 percent spring water and fruit juice essence in lemon-lime, pink grapefruit, cranberry and plain.”

People can call ahead to arrange a tour or join a scheduled one every Saturday at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. In addition to water, the store sells chicken and grass-fed beef from local farms, pasta, eggs, granola and pickles. More local vendors come out every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a market that features organic products, soaps and honey.

The benefits of natural spring water include minerals that are often taken out by other bottlers. In addition to relying on the earth’s filtration process, the Bertarellis have their water regularly tested by an outside laboratory.

“Our customers say they’ve been looking for us because it’s hard to find what we offer,” says Bertarelli. “We’re happy to give them delicious, nutritious water. Sometimes it tastes almost sweet, and there is no after taste.”

Location: Simpson Spring, 719 Washington St., Easton. To learn more, call 508-238-4472 or visit SimpsonSpring.com.