Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

The Bottling Plant in the Mountains

Sheikh Mohammed Mussallam describes what it’s like to build a brand new water bottling company, A&M Rare, in the remote Pambak Mountains of Armenia.

Fp 0921

Packaging World:
How did this idea get launched in the first place?

Sheikh Mohammed Mussallam:
I’ve run a number of companies in many different fields, some in the construction and telecommunications industries and others in the hotel sector. In my early fifties I found I was keen to try something new. When visiting friends in Armenia ten years ago, they greatly enthused about the quality and purity of Armenia’s water—and for the first time I learned of the many legends and myths that surround this essential element here. That’s what launched the idea.

What were the early steps?
In 2012 I contacted the Armenian government, which introduced me to a number of extremely cooperative individuals in the ministries of the environment and mining. Together with a Swiss geotechnical company I began looking for the ideal location for such an undertaking. I subsequently found it in Artavaz in the Kotayk Province in the Pambak Mountains about 80 kilometers northeast of the capital of Yerevan. Here, close to one of the largest and most popular Armenian ski resorts in Tsaghkadzor, where the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus reach heights of more than 2,800 meters above sea level, two springs can be found in the midst of totally unspoiled surroundings. Rare mineral water comes from Anapak Mountain, 2,050 meters up. It contains bicarbonate and is rich in calcium and low in sodium. It’s a gentle digestive stimulant, and with its high mineral content  it’s especially suitable for the preparation of baby food. The source of this pure spring water—Aknaler Mountain with an altitude of 2,450 meters—is just five kilometers away; with its low to medium mineral content, this water is extremely balanced.

Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
Take me there
Conveying Innovations Report
Is your palletizing solution leaving money on the floor?
Discover which palletizing technology—robotic, conventional, or hybrid—will maximize your packaging line efficiency while minimizing long-term costs in this comprehensive analysis.
Read More
Is your palletizing solution leaving money on the floor?