LaCroix or La Croix () is a soda water distributed by the Sundance Beverage Company, a subsidiary of National Beverage Corp. Originating from G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin, LaCroix was first produced in 1981. 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. 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.
History
LaCroix was introduced in 1981 by G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin as one of the first "Anti-Perrier" brands. 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. 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. 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).
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.
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". 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.
In light of sugary soda sales plummeting to a 30-year low in the U.S. in spring of 2015, 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. Since early 2015, LaCroix became the trend of various mainstream news outlets as a healthier alternative to sugary soda, as well as a mixer for popular cocktails.
References
External links
- Official website
