How a Midwestern sparkling water brand became an accidental icon of American pop culture
In short: Born in Wisconsin as an anti-snob alternative to Perrier, LaCroix spent decades as a regional secret. Then, a bold design pivot and a strategic pivot toward millennial social media users transformed it into a national phenomenon. Today, it dominates the sparkling water market, despite facing intense legal and reputational scrutiny.
LaCroix was introduced in February 1980 by the G. Heileman Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Marketed as an all-occasion beverage, it was intentionally positioned as the anti-Perrier, avoiding the perceived elitism of its competitor. While it found success in the Midwest, the brand struggled to break out of its regional niche. By 1992, it was valued at US$25 million, prompting Heileman to sell the brand to the National Beverage Corporation, citing a lack of expertise beyond the beer industry.
The brand's modern trajectory shifted in 2002 when National Beverage experimented with a bold, colorful packaging design. Although management initially disliked the aesthetic, it proved to be a landslide success with consumers. This visual identity became central to the brand's eventual explosion in 2015. As sugary soda sales hit a 30-year low, National Beverage launched a targeted social media campaign aimed at millennials. This move cemented LaCroix as a healthier, trendy alternative to soda and a staple cocktail mixer, helping it capture an estimated 30 percent of the U.S. sparkling water market—double that of Perrier.
Despite its commercial success, the brand has navigated significant turbulence. In 2018, a class action lawsuit challenged its all-natural labeling, alleging the use of synthetic ingredients like limonene and linalool propionate. The company maintained that its flavor essences were natural, and the plaintiff eventually withdrew the claims. A subsequent 2019 lawsuit involving isotope analysis and gas chromatography mass spectrometry was also dropped in 2020. Simultaneously, CEO Nick Caporella faced allegations of sexual harassment from former pilots regarding incidents between 2014 and 2016. Caporella denied these claims, and no turnover occurred as of 2023. Today, the brand continues to expand internationally, with official distribution reaching the UK in 2025 and Cyprus in 2026.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: La Croix Sparkling Water
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