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At the time, it seemed a daunting task facing a new Irish business venture: bottling spring water, and attempting to compete with the mineral water giant, Perrier. Yet, this is the story of ''Ballygowan'' which has become a modern Irish fairy tale, with the entrepreneur, Geoff Read, 38, a millionaire in the process. The ''Ballygowan'' concept arose from attendance at a ''Start your own business'' course. The case describes the progression from evaluation of the market potential to location of a suitable water source with historical connections near a Co Limerick market town. It traces the search for an appropriate brandname and the development of distinctive product packaging. With a significant market share attained by the original ''natural'' product, range extension was attempted with the addition of natural fruit extracts. The case describes Geoff Read''s efforts to generate a cost effective marketing communications programme through publicity and strategically placed small ads.