From international water tasting awards to statewide contracts, LeSage Natural is making waves.
By Katherine Pyles
HQ 131 | AUTUMN 2025
In March, a handwritten card arrived at the offices of LeSage Natural. It came from Charles Rhodes, an 83-year-old disabled Army veteran living in Newport News, Virginia. He had recently read about the small West Virginia bottler in The Washington Post, where its water was described as “silky and refreshing, like a cool breeze” after earning a silver medal at the prestigious Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting.
Enclosed with the card were several postage stamps and a request: could LeSage send him some of that award-winning water? He asked that their reply come by mail.
To the team at LeSage, Rhodes’ letter was a heartwarming reminder that their work — drawing, bottling and delivering water from a deep sealed well in Cabell County — is making an impact far beyond Huntington.
Located along Route 2 in Lesage, LeSage Natural is part of Green Acres Regional Center, which provides job training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. In addition to LeSage, the center is home to Granny Hatfield’s Greenhouse.
From the outside, LeSage looks like a modest operation. But the nonprofit water bottler draws exclusively from its own 100-foot well, filtering the water through a multistep purification process: carbon and multimedia filtration, water softeners, reverse osmosis, ozonation and UV treatment. The result is a crisp, clean taste — one that has repeatedly earned top honors at the Berkeley Springs competition.
“Our water is pumped from the ground, purified, bottled, labeled and packaged for delivery right here on site,” Executive Director Earlene Anglin said. “There’s no aftertaste. There are no additives. It is some of the purest and best-tasting water in the world, and we have consistent results and multiple awards to back that claim.”
Since 2021, LeSage has consistently medaled at Berkeley Springs, collecting both gold and silver honors. At this year’s event, which drew more than 80 entries from four continents, LeSage claimed silver in the purified water category. Other winners came from as far away as Australia, Greece and Bosnia.
“The total of countries over the life of the event is 59, including waters from Tasmania, Turkey, Bosnia, Greece and New Zealand,” said Jill Klein Rone, event producer.
Following the win, the West Virginia Senate formally recognized the LeSage team on the chamber floor.
But award-winning water is only part of the LeSage Natural story.
LeSage is the only bottling plant in the U.S. established specifically to train and employ adults with developmental disabilities. Today, it employs more than 40 individuals with disabilities and partners with organizations across West Virginia to expand those opportunities further.
“The heart of what we do here at Green Acres and LeSage is to employ and empower those with developmental disabilities,” said Anglin, who has advocated for people with disabilities for over 20 years. “I have an adult son with autism. When he was young, I often worried and wondered about what sort of opportunities he might have as an adult. Now, I find myself in a unique situation, where I am an advocate not only for him but for 45 others as well.”
LeSage serves thousands of customers, delivering 5-gallon and 3-gallon jugs as well as 24-packs of bottled water to homes and businesses across the Tri-State. With free delivery, no order minimums and no contracts, LeSage competes not just on quality but also on value: a 5-gallon jug or 24-pack is just $6.50 delivered. LeSage also supplies related equipment, like hot/cold water dispensers, display refrigerators, cups and cupholders.
Demand is steady, and there’s often a waitlist for delivery. But customers are welcome to pick up orders at the plant, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. LeSage also partners with local businesses to sell water, often in custom-labeled bottles.
In July, LeSage became a registered vendor with the West Virginia Purchasing Division, an arrangement that allows LeSage to sell directly to state agencies rather than use a third-party vendor. It’s a more efficient and cost-effective process, Anglin said, and it further highlights the quality of the product.
As folks love to say nowadays, ‘If you know, you know,’” she said. “I like to add, ‘And if you don’t, you should!’”
Even as it grows to meet rising demand, LeSage Natural remains true to its mission: delivering exceptional water while creating meaningful work for those often overlooked by traditional employers.
“I would love for more people to understand what a truly unique social enterprise we have here at LeSage Natural,” Anglin said. “Our employees are very proud. We love our jobs. We celebrate our accomplishments. And we’re always looking to expand our horizons.”
