LaCroix or La Croix (/ləˈkrɔɪ/ lə-KROY^{[lower-alpha 1]}) is an American brand of sparkling water that originated in La Crosse, Wisconsin, by G. Heileman Brewing Company and is now distributed by National Beverage Corporation. The available flavors include various fruits and fruit blends.^[4]

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In February 1980, the G. Heileman Brewing Company, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, introduced LaCroix 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.^{[5][non-primary source needed]} Its name is pronounced like the St. Croix River, which forms most of Wisconsin's western border with Minnesota.^[6]

The beverage fared well in popularity and sales in the surrounding Midwest region for the following decade. By 1992, the brand was estimated to be worth US$25 million. However, in the same year, due to Heileman's admitted lack of experience outside the beer market, it sold the brand to National Beverage (then Winterbrook).^[7]

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".^[8] Instead of staying with a 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.^{[5][non-primary source needed]}

Since the early 1990s, LaCroix had been a fairly well-known product in the Midwest United States. But when U.S. sugary-soda sales plummeted to a 30-year low in the spring of 2015,^[9] National Beverage took the opportunity to expand their consumer base by launching a social media marketing campaign targeting millennials.^[10] Sales exploded as the brand developed a national cult following.^[10][11] Their marketing efforts have since helped position LaCroix with mainstream news outlets as a healthier alternative to sugary soda, as well as a mixer for popular cocktails.^[12][6][13]

Sales records have never been publicly released, but market research suggests LaCroix holds a 30 percent market share in sparkling water sales in the United States, double that of its main competitor, Perrier.^[10]

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