Our Family Story: An Australian Family-Owned Spring Water Company
- Little Hampton Spring
- Jul 20
- 6 min read
WHAT WE CARRY FORWARD
Our Family, Our Legacy, Our Water
Every family business has a story.
Ours began long before the Little Hampton name appeared on a bottle.
It is a story shaped by our late father, John Opie AM, by decades in the Australian water industry, and by a family that continues to work together today.
But more than anything, it is a story about the values we were brought up with.
Work hard.
Look after people.
Value your relationships.
Keep your word.
And if you have the opportunity to make a difference, do something about it.
Those values have passed from one generation to the next.
Today, they remain at the heart of our family, our businesses and Little Hampton Spring.
Where it began
Our father, John Opie AM, was a businessman, entrepreneur and someone who believed deeply in getting things done.
He understood that building something worthwhile rarely happened overnight.
It took hard work, resilience, good people and relationships built over time.
But some of the things Dad was most proud of had very little to do with business.
In the late 1980s, our family experienced first-hand the impact that leukaemia can have on a family.
That experience introduced Dad to the enormous challenges faced by Australians searching for potentially life-saving bone marrow donors.
His response was typical of the way he approached life.
He wanted to do something.
Dad became one of the founding members and driving forces behind the organisation that became the Bone Marrow Donor Institute, now known as the Fight Cancer Foundation.
From its beginnings in 1989, he helped bring together families, medical professionals and community organisations with a shared goal of improving opportunities and support for Australians affected by blood cancers.
He remained closely involved for many years, serving as President and Chairman, and his contribution to the community was recognised through a number of honours, including his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Today, John Opie House in Hobart carries his name, providing a home away from home for patients and families who need to travel for medical treatment.
It is something our family remains enormously proud of.
But perhaps Dad's greatest legacy to us wasn't an award, a title or even a business.
It was the way he lived his life.
If you can help, you help.
The values he left with us
There was never a formal list of “family values” pinned to a wall.
They were simply part of how we were brought up.
Dad believed your word mattered.
He believed relationships mattered.
He believed you worked hard, found solutions and got on with the job.
And he believed you should never forget the people who helped you along the way.
Those lessons stayed with us.
Over time, they became part of the way our own family approached business.
And eventually, they became part of the story behind Little Hampton.
An Australian Family-Owned Spring Water Company Built on Generations
For decades, water has been a big part of our family's life.
What grew over the years became a family business spanning spring water manufacturing, packaging, distribution and direct delivery.
Through Aquaworks, our family has built extensive experience in Australian spring water production and packaging.
At our dedicated water manufacturing facility in Victoria, we produce and package spring water across a range of formats, supported by rigorous quality and food safety standards.
Aquaworks is the manufacturing heart of what we do.
But our family's connection with customers extends beyond manufacturing.
Through Big Wet, we have spent decades delivering water and workplace solutions directly to homes and businesses.
Big Wet has allowed us to build something we value enormously — long-term relationships.
Some customers have been with us for many years.
Some know our family personally.
Some know the drivers who arrive at their workplace.
Others simply recognise the Big Wet trucks they see travelling around Melbourne every day.
That direct connection with people has always been an important part of who we are.
A family of water brands
Over the years, our experience has also led us to develop water brands for different people, places and occasions.
Our family of brands includes names such as Peninsula Springs, Acqua Sorrento, Aqua To Go and Little Hampton Spring.
Each has its own identity and purpose.
Some are part of everyday family life.
Some are found in workplaces.
Some are created for retail.
Others belong around a restaurant table.
Behind them is decades of experience in an industry that has become part of our family's DNA.
And then came Little Hampton.
A new chapter
Little Hampton represents something particularly special to our family.
It brings together much of what we have learned over the years while giving us the opportunity to create something for the future.
We wanted Little Hampton to feel distinctly Australian.
Premium, but never pretentious.
Beautifully presented, but uncomplicated.
At home on the table of a beautiful restaurant, at a hotel, at an event or simply shared over a long lunch with family and friends.
At the centre of it all is the water.
Our spring water comes from Victoria's beautiful Hepburn region, an area with a remarkable history and connection to natural springs and mineral water.
Little Hampton is available in still and sparkling, presented in elegant glass bottles and infinitely recyclable aluminium cans.
Glass brings a timeless presence to the table.
Aluminium offers a highly recyclable alternative for events, venues and occasions where glass may not be suitable.
Different formats for different moments.
But always with the same philosophy:
Good water. Thoughtfully presented.
Still a family business
Today, our family remains closely involved across our businesses.
Different generations bring different skills, personalities and ideas.
We work across manufacturing and operations, distribution, customer relationships, sales, marketing and the continued development of our brands.
And like most family businesses, work doesn't always stay at work.
Ideas come up around the dinner table.
Phone calls happen after hours.
Someone is always thinking about what we could do better.
Someone else usually has another idea.
We don't always agree.
We debate things.
We change our minds.
We work things out.
And then we keep moving forward.
That's family.
And there is something very special about looking around the table and realising that something started by one generation is now being carried forward by the next.
What we believe
After decades in business, what we believe is actually quite simple.
Family comes first.
Businesses evolve.
Markets change.
Products come and go.
Family is the constant.
Your word matters.
Trust isn't created by saying the right things.
It is earned over time by doing what you say you will do and standing behind the people you work with.
Quality is in the details.
Whether it's the water inside the bottle, the way that bottle looks on a restaurant table, how an order leaves our facility or how someone is treated when they call us — the details matter.
Relationships are everything.
Our family's story would not exist without the people who have been part of it.
Our employees.
Our customers.
Our suppliers.
Our distributors.
Our hospitality partners.
And the many people who have supported our businesses along the way.
Always look forward.
Being part of a multi-generational family business changes the way you think about the future.
You don't just think about tomorrow.
You think about what you are building for the people who come next.
That means continuing to improve.
Making thoughtful decisions about how we manufacture and package our water.
Investing in quality.
Being open to new ideas.
And building brands we hope will still mean something many years from now.
What we carry forward
When we think about our father today, we don't simply think about what he built.
We think about what he taught us.
Work hard.
Look after people.
Keep your word.
Don't be afraid to have a go.
And if you have an opportunity to make something better, take it.
Those values have travelled with our family through decades of business.
They are part of Aquaworks.
They are part of Big Wet.
They are reflected in the brands we have built along the way.
And they are very much part of Little Hampton.
Little Hampton may be a newer chapter in our family's story, but the values behind it have been generations in the making.
Today, there are new generations around the table.
New ideas.
New opportunities.
And plenty still to do.
We are proud of where we have come from.
We are excited about where we are going.
And we are grateful to everyone — our family, our team, our customers and our partners — who continues to be part of the journey.
This is more than a story about water.
It's a story about family.
And we're still writing it.
From our family to your table.
Always Sparkle
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