La Croix Sparkling Water

LaCroix
Type Sparkling water
Manufacturer Sundance Beverage Company
Country of origin La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States
Flavour Pure (Unflavored), Berry, Cran-Raspberry, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Passion Fruit, Apricot, Mango, Pamplemousse (Grapefruit), Lemon-Lime, Coconut, Peach-Pear, Tangerine, Pomme-Baya (Apple-Berry), Cerise Limón (Cherry Lime), Melón Pomelo (Melon Grapefruit), Kiwi Sandía (Kiwi Watermelon), Piña Fraise (Pineapple Strawberry) Mure Pepino (Cucumber Blackberry), NiCola (Cola)
Website www.lacroixwater.com

LaCroix or La Croix (/ləˈkrɔɪ/) is a soda water distributed by the Sundance Beverage Company, a subsidiary of National Beverage Corp. In the United States, often appealing to sparkling water consumers looking for an alternative to an import, LaCroix markets itself as an "innocent," and "all occasion" beverage.

LaCroix is the number one selling sparkling water brand domestically in the United States according to National Beverage.[1] Though no sales records have been publicly released to back this claim, market research analyses provide evidence that support this suggesting a 30% market share, double that of its main competitor, Perrier.[2][3]

History

LaCroix was introduced in 1981 by G. Heileman Brewing Company as the "Anti-Perrier" brand.[4] Meant to appeal to sparkling water consumers who were put off by Perrier's "snobbish positioning," LaCroix marketed to its niche by imaging itself as an "all occasion" beverage.[4] The beverage fared well in popularity and sales in the surrounding Midwest region for the following decade and by 1992, the brand was estimated to be worth $25 million.[5] However, in the same year, due to Heileman's admitted lack of experience outside the beer market, it was forced to sell the brand to National Beverage (then Winterbrook).[5]

Rise in popularity

Since the early 1990s, LaCroix has been a fairly well-known product in the Midwest; however, its sudden rise in popularity outside of the Midwest United States has only been a recent phenomenon.[2][6]

In 2002, National Beverage sought to rebrand LaCroix and ended up settling on the design that was "least favored by management" but won over target consumers in a "landslide".[7] Instead of staying with the clean and simple designs like other water brands, they found that a more bold and colorful approach was more appealing to their audience. The "successful execution of the “anti-Perrier” strategy, in all its forms, has been a key factor enabling LaCroix" to become one of the top sparkling water brands.[8]

In light of sugary soda sales plummeting to a 30-year low in the U.S. in spring of 2015,[9] National Beverage saw an opportunity at an open market of consumers and subsequently launched a marketing campaign for the beverage on social media, specifically targeting millennials.[2] Since early 2015, LaCroix became the trend of various mainstream news outlets as a healthier alternative to sugary soda.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "history - LaCroix Sparkling Water". LaCroix Sparkling Water. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sales are exploding for this little-known soda brand with a cult following". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  3. ↑ Kosman, Josh (2015-12-04). "‘Sparkling’ LaCroix sales drive acquisition talk". New York Post. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  4. 1 2 "LaCroix Sparking Water | Meridian Associates Inc. Success Story". www.meridianai.com. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  5. 1 2 "Buyer Sparkles Over Lacroix Deal". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  6. ↑ "The Surprising Reason Everyone is Suddenly Obsessed with LaCroix". Country Living. 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  7. ↑ Halpern, Ashlea (January 24, 2017). "The Secret History of the LaCroix Label". BonAppetit.com. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "LaCroix Sparking Water | Meridian Associates Inc. Success Story". Meridian Associates. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Soda Consumption Falls to 30-Year Low In The U.S.". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  10. ↑ Nelson, Libby (2016-06-20). "Why LaCroix sparkling water is suddenly everywhere". Vox. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  11. ↑ Choi, Mary H. K. (2015-03-03). "Letter of Recommendation: LaCroix Sparkling Water". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
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