Gemerka: From the depths of Gemer to beyond Slovakia’s borders

And that is exactly where our Made in Slovakia team headed to discover the story behind the Gemerka brand. A water whose journey begins not in a production hall or on a bottling line, but almost one hundred metres below the ground.

Mineral water is not simply water that someone pours into a bottle. Its story begins long before it ever reaches human hands.

As water makes its way through different layers of rock, it becomes naturally enriched with minerals it encounters along the way. This is why every mineral water source has its own unique composition, with the local geology playing a major role in determining what eventually ends up in the bottle.

In Gemerka’s case, the region that gave the brand its name plays a key role. Gemer is known not only for the landscape above ground, but also for what lies beneath it. Karst formations, caves, limestone, dolomite and magnesite create an environment in which water naturally absorbs minerals. Some of the region’s best-known natural landmarks include Domica Cave, Ochtinská Aragonite Cave and Gombasecká Cave.

Gemerka’s story is therefore inseparably linked to the place it comes from.

Gemerka springs from a depth of 99.6 metres. As it travels underground, the geological bedrock naturally enriches it with magnesium and calcium. The presence of these minerals has become one of the defining characteristics of this mineral water.

Natural Gemerka contains 136 mg of magnesium and 375 mg of calcium per litre, giving it an approximate 1:3 ratio in favour of calcium.

The figures on the label, however, are simply the result of a process taking place deep beneath the surface – one that cannot easily be replicated by humans. Gemerka develops its character naturally underground, while the role of production is to preserve that character and deliver the water to consumers at the required level of quality.

Production is another part of the story that we do not usually see when we pick up a bottle of mineral water. On a shop shelf, we simply reach for the finished product, but between an underground source and that bottle lies an entire system of technology, quality control and logistics.

Gemerka is bottled at the BUDIŠ plant in Tornaľa. In 2026, the facility underwent a major modernisation project in which the company invested €9 million. Its most significant addition was a new bottling line supplied by German manufacturer Krones.

But the investment involved much more than replacing a single piece of equipment on the production floor. The modernisation also included new technologies and filtration processes, a compressor room, the refurbishment of the syrup storage facility and flood-protection measures at the site, which is located near the Slaná River.

The difference compared with the previous production system is significant. The former line had a capacity of approximately 18,600 units per hour. The new one can handle 26,400, representing an increase of around 42%. The technology also includes automated quality control throughout individual stages of the production process.

The figures show just how far production in Tornaľa has come in recent years. But the new line is not only about speed. Its increased capacity allows the brand to respond to growing demand both in Slovakia and abroad.

One of the most interesting aspects of Gemerka’s story is its success beyond Slovakia.

According to company representatives, approximately three times as much Gemerka is sold in the Czech Republic as in Slovakia, where the brand has established itself among the country’s best-selling mineral waters.

Production capacity has grown alongside demand. Before the modernisation, the Tornaľa facility could produce approximately 60 million bottles per year. The new capacity has increased that figure to around 90 million. If sales continue to grow, the company expects production could eventually reach between 110 and 120 million bottles annually.

What began as a mineral water closely connected to one Slovak region has therefore gradually become a product with a strong position beyond the country’s borders. And it is precisely this contrast – deep regional roots combined with growing international reach – that makes Gemerka’s story so compelling.

That is why we made our way to Tornaľa as well.

With the Made in Slovakia project, we wanted to experience Gemerka’s entire story first-hand. Not just the finished bottle we recognise from supermarket shelves, but everything that comes before it – from the natural source and production technology to bottling, packaging and distribution.

What makes mineral water particularly fascinating is the contrast between these two worlds. On one side is nature and a process taking place underground without human intervention. On the other is a modern production line capable of processing more than 26,000 bottles every hour.

Two seemingly very different worlds that nevertheless depend on one another.

Without the natural source, there would be nothing to bottle. Without technology, quality control and the people working in production, water from Gemer would never reach millions of consumers in Slovakia and abroad.

Gemerka is a perfect example of how a seemingly simple product can have a much bigger story behind it.

Behind every bottle lies the character of the region, water rising from dozens of metres below the ground, a distinctive mineral composition, the people of Tornaľa, modern technologies and the brand’s ability to take a Slovak product far beyond its domestic market.

These are exactly the kinds of connections we love discovering at Made in Slovakia. The products we encounter in everyday life often become most interesting when we look beyond their packaging.

And in Gemerka’s case, it is worth looking even deeper – almost one hundred metres beneath the surface, to the place where its entire story begins.