You could say that one of Wales' most prolific Hollywood movie and TV stars is unknown by many, hasn't won any Oscars, Baftas or Emmys and is possibly nameless to the millions of viewers who have watched them on screen for the past three decades.
That's because that star is an iconic bottle of water, produced by Tŷ Nant in Bethania, Ceredigion, and, if you're a keen-eyed Welsh film nerd you'll have spotted the unmistakable sleek, deep blue glass bottle in the background of loads of big screen movies and world-famous TV shows.
The cobalt blue bottle has been seen quenching the thirst of stars since the 1990s after it was first launched in 1989 at the Savoy Hotel followed 10 years later by its crimson red counterpart, which has also appeared in on-screen fridges.
Recently the original blue bottle has been seen in Disney+ hit, Only Murders in the Building, which stars Steven Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, Marvel's latest TV offering, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law and Netflix's Grace & Frankie. It's long been a favourite of TV set dressers though, having popped up in Frasier, Friends, Gilmore Girls, The OC and Will & Grace. On the big screen it's made appearances in Clueless, the 2003 version of The Italian Job, Paddington, Iron Man 2 and Die Another Day. Not leaving out homegrown TV appearances, Tŷ Nant has also had cameos in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Doctors and, of course, Pobol Y Cwm.
But what's the tale behind the famous, thirst-quenching Welsh product? Well, it goes back to 1976 when a water diviner - someone who has the skill of finding water, mostly underground - called Tom Astley was drawn to the foot of the Cambrian Mountains to a hamlet called Bethania to discover a source of natural mineral water. There they dug into the ground, through 100 feet of rock and clay to a natural aquifer.
The water was bottled and exported across the globe, then in 1996 the company invested in a new bottling plant at the site of where the water was initially extracted, in Bethania. That plant is still running today and the company is committed to reducing their carbon footprint, even having their own wind turbine on-site to help reduce energy uses from non-eco sources. Recently celebrating its 30th birthday in 2019, Tŷ Nant also produces its crimson red water bottles and launched Tau Spring water in the early noughties.
It is the teardrop-shaped, cobalt blue bottle however that remains its most recognisable item and will more than likely be supped by Hollywood stars for years to come!
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