Addie McCluskey
Elmore Autauga News
Eleven86 Real Artesian Water was named Alabama’s 2025 Small Manufacturer of the Year, Oct. 3, 2025, on National Manufacturers Day by the Business Council of Alabama (BCA), Alabama Technology Network (ATN), and Manufacture Alabama.
“Manufacturers are at the foundation of Alabama’s economy—creating jobs, driving innovation, and investing in communities across our state,” said Jon Barganier, President and CEO of Manufacture Alabama. “We are proud to join together to recognize their achievements through the Manufacturer of the Year Awards, standing alongside them in advocating for policies that ensure their continued growth and competitiveness.”
Owned by MRaine Industries, Eleven86 Real Artesian Water is a small manufacturer with 99 or fewer employees in Autaugaville, Alabama. Sourced from a deep artesian aquifer protected for centuries beneath layers of rock and earth, this water is bottled directly at the source, ensuring it remains naturally pure and untouched by surface contaminants.
“We come from a very small, rural town, where we employ most of our team members,” said Marquis Forge, CEO of MRaine Industries. “This award shows that rural Alabama is open for business, and it doesn’t matter where you come from but where you are headed.”
The company’s name is rooted in faith—representing the 1,189 chapters in the Bible. The flipped digit, six instead of nine, symbolizes humanity’s imperfection and God’s creation of mankind on the sixth day.
“I cannot tell you what this award means to us,” said Forge. “We are so proud to represent Autauga County, Autaugaville, and just so proud to represent that state of Alabama.”
With its commitment to community, quality, and innovation, Eleven86 Real Artesian Water is proving that big success can flow from even the smallest towns.
For more information, visit https://www.eleven86water.com/.
