We’ve come a long way since the first recipe of Coca-Cola, which was wine mixed with cocaine and marketed as a cure for morphine addiction. In 1898, the US government began taxing medication to drum up revenue for the Spanish-AmericanWar so Coca-Cola became a soft drink to avoid taxation. The big companies soon followed suit.
Now we are on the dawn of a third revolution in drinkable enjoyable liquids.Sparkling water is tearing up the charts, moving in on territories recently vacated by sodas. With classic brands getting hammered for the destructive effects of sugar-fueled weight gain and diabetes, sparkling water is moving in to the market of those who love the texture of bubbly things but still want a clean bill of health.
The bottled water industry is worth $13 Billion.About 10% ($1.3 Billion)of that is sparkling water and that number has only been growing in recent years (some estimates range from 17%-26%growth per year).Previously, sparkling water was synonymous with Perrier, but today companies like La Croix and San Pellegrino are changing the game. Even beverage giants Dasani andAquafina are throwing their hat into the ring in the hopes of capturing some of that sweet, sweet refreshing market share.
All signs point to this tree bearing much fruit as consumers demand a great-tasting and refreshing beverage they can feel good about drinking.
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