By ANDREA McCANN
Indiana Correspondent

WALNUT GROVE — A unique rural business in Greene County, Ind., has captured the attention of Gov. Mitch Daniels and his wife, Cheryl, as well as others.

Walnut Grove Spring Water was a happy accident for owners Duane and Leslie Smith. The couple had purchased land in eastern Greene County 10 years ago on which to start a persimmon farm.

While fetching water to mix concrete, they stumbled upon the spring, leading to an eight-year journey they hadn’t expected.

“In 1997 we bought our first 40 acres here to plant persimmon trees as a hobby,” Leslie said. They cleared some land and planted trees, she continued, and during the process they went to a stream to get water to mix concrete, so they could set poles for a barn. She said there was a drought, but the water was flowing freely and was cold.

“We followed it and found a pooling area six-inches deep,” she said. “It was clear as could be. It looks like little sand crabs swirling in the discharge area, but it’s the water forcing its way up. That was nine years ago, and here we are today.”

The Smiths now own 188 acres and, along with the spring water operation, have 4,000 persimmon trees – the only organized wild American persimmon farm in the United States. Their spring is one of the largest natural springs in the Midwest and one of only two certified natural spring sources in Indiana.

It flows at a rate of 1,000 gallons per minute, but the company chooses to pump only 100 gallons per minute to preserve the source.

Walnut Grove Spring Water is an environmentally friendly operation that hires locally and tries to purchase all its supplies in Indiana.

That’s the appeal for Gov. Daniels. “I love their reverence for nature and what God gave us, and the way the Smiths choose to spend their life,” said Gov. Daniels during a June 7 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility. “Roll it all together, and you have just about the best of the state.”

Daniels had asked to stop by the facility, which blends into the surrounding hills and hollows of the Walnut Grove area, while on a trip through the area last week. The Smiths asked him to cut a ceremonial ribbon while he was there.

The governor became interested in the business when his wife began purchasing the water. It’s now the preferred drinking water of the Indiana governor’s residence. “My wife fell in love with it,” he said. “We serve it at events, as well as at home.”

Recently, he said, they served the spring water to the president of Honda when he was in Indianapolis on business.

At the ribbon cutting, Daniels praised the Smith’s business standards and said he was happy to finally see and learn about the operation.

“It’s a good way to spend such a nice day,” he said, after arriving on his slightly customized 2004 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider and taking a tour. “One of the good things about my job is that I get to travel the state, meet people and see how they make a living. This is the kind of business I love most.”

Walnut Grove Spring Water is “respectfully collected,” and as little non-renewable energy as possible is used throughout the entire operation. Everything on the bottles is recyclable, according to Duane. The rustic-looking facilities even complement their surroundings. “They’re good stewards of the land,” said Greene County Councilman Ken Gremore.

Councilman Ed Cullison added that cardboard boxes, wooden boxes and bottles all are made in Indiana for the company. Duane said he was approached by a Vietnamese company that could make the wooden boxes for half the price, but he refused to send the work outside Indiana. Instead, the tulip poplar boxes are made by Stone Belt Arc in Bloomington.

Not coincidentally, tulip poplar is the Indiana state tree.

“We serve people with developmental disabilities,” said Brad Galin of Stone Belt Arc. “They do the cutting and sanding. ... It gives them the opportunity to be productive, and they take great pride in their work, as well, so it’s really a great thing.”

Right now, the unique bottle tops aren’t made in Indiana, but plans are under way to have those made in the Hoosier state, too.
Walnut Grove Spring Water comes in 12.6-ounce glass bottles with swing-top stoppers, one of the oldest types of bottle closure. Leslie said they wanted something different and didn’t want to compete with the many plastic bottles on the market. She said their target market is fine-dining establishments and boutique hotels. But, she added, there are no restrictions on who may purchase their natural spring water.

“It’s available on e-commerce,” she said. “Residential customers can buy it online.” The website is www.walnut grovespring.com
Leslie said the water also can be purchased at the bottling facility Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Walnut Grove Spring Water is hand-bottled just a few hundred yards from its source. According to Duane, the manufacturer of a bottling machine told him he could cut two employees if he used their machine.

“I said ‘I like employees. They’re friendly to me,’” Duane told the crowd during a tour of the bottling area.

In addition to the swing-top bottles, the water is available in five-gallon home/office bottles.

It’s sold in bulk in 22 states, Leslie said, with Kroger stores being one of the biggest bulk customers. She said two to four 6,000-gallon trucks leave their bulk facility daily.

Leslie said the bottled spring water is currently available in 25 upscale Bloomington and Indianapolis dining and retail establishments and wineries. Certified in 42 states, the water gradually will be marketed throughout 2007 in Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Phoenix. More areas will be targeted in 2008.

In the fiscal year 2005-06, the company sold 2.9 million gallons of bulk and bottled natural spring water. A percentage of gross sales is donated to Farm Aid and local causes.

“This is wonderful, what Duane and Leslie have been able to do for eastern Greene County,” said Greene County District 1 Commissioner Kathy Crouch. “It’s a wonderful boost in the arm. They’ve taken one of Greene County’s greatest assets and turned it into an invigorating, sustainable entity that’s helping Greene County now and will in the future.