Perrier is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water captured at the
source in Vergèze, located in the Gard département. Perrier is best known for
its naturally occurring carbonation, distinctive green bottle, and higher
levels of carbonation than its peers. About
The spring is naturally carbonated. Both the water and natural carbon dioxide gas
are captured independently. The water is then purified, and in the bottling
process, the carbon dioxide gas is re-added so that the level of
carbonation in bottled Perrier matches that of the Vergèze spring.
Perrier is available in 750ml, 330ml, and 200ml glass bottles in Europe, as
well as in 330ml cans. In other markets, the 250ml can is also available. Perrier
bottles all have a distinctive 'teardrop' shape and are a signature
green color. In August 2001, the company introduced a new bottling format using
polyethylene terephthalate to offer Perrier in plastic, a change that was
researched for 11 years to determine which material would best help retain
both the water's flavor and its purported "50 million bubbles."
Perrier comes in several flavors: Natural, Lemon, and Lime have been in
market for many years, and in 2007, Citron Lemon-Lime and Pamplemousse Rose
flavors debuted in the United States. In 2015, a Green Apple flavor was launched
in France as well as the US. Since 2002, new varieties of Perrier
have been introduced in France, for example, Eau de Perrier is less
carbonated than the original, and comes in a blue bottle. Perrier Fluo comes in
flavors such as ginger-cherry, peppermint, orange-lychee, raspberry,
and ginger-lemon. Perrier and competitor San Pellegrino
are owned by the Nestlé Corporation. History
The spring in Southern France from which Perrier is drawn was originally known as
Les Bouillens. It had been used as a spa since Roman times. Local doctor Louis
Perrier bought the spring in 1898 and operated a commercial spa there; he also
bottled the water for sale. He later sold the spring to St.John Harmsworth, a
wealthy British visitor. Harmsworth was the younger brother of the newspaper
magnates Lord Northcliffe and Lord Rothermere. He had come to France to
learn the language. Dr. Perrier showed him the spring, and he decided to buy
it. He sold his share of the family newspapers to raise the money.
Harmsworth closed the spa, as spas were becoming unfashionable. He renamed the
spring Source Perrier and started bottling the water in distinctive green
bottles. The shape was that of the Indian clubs, which Harmsworth used for
exercise. Harmsworth marketed the product in
Britain at a time when Frenchness was seen as chic and aspirational to the
middle classes. It was advertised as the Champagne of mineral water. Advertising
in newspapers like the Daily Mail established the brand. For a time, 95%
of sales were in Britain and the U.S. Perrier's reputation for purity suffered
a blow in 1990 when a laboratory in North Carolina in the United States
found Benzene, a carcinogen, in several bottles. Perrier stated that it was an
isolated incident of a worker having made a mistake in the filtering
procedure and that the spring itself was unpolluted. The incident ultimately led
to the worldwide withdrawal of the product, some 160 million bottles of
Perrier. From 1981 to 2005, the company sponsored
an annual comedy award in the United Kingdom, the Perrier Comedy Award, also
known as "The Perriers". In 2006 it was announced that Perrier would no longer
sponsor the award, which was renamed the "if.comedy awards", after its new
sponsor, Intelligent Finance. In 1992, Perrier was bought by rival
Nestlé, one of the world's leading food and drink companies.
In 2004, a crisis erupted when the Nestlé group, owner of Perrier,
announced a restructuring plan for Perrier. In 2005, Perrier was ordered to
halt restructuring, because of a failure to consult adequately with staff.
In 2013, Perrier celebrated its 150th anniversary by launching a limited
edition series of bottles inspired by Andy Warhol.
Distribution As of January 2013, Perrier is available
in 140 countries. Advertising
In 2015 a Perrier cinematic commercial was created by Ogilvy & Mather
See also Mineral water
Apollinaris Badoit
Evian Farris
Gerolsteiner Brunnen Panna
San Pellegrino Ramlösa
Spa Notes
Further reading Fox, Barry, "Secrets of the Source", New
Scientist 120: 45–48, retrieved July 15, 2010
External links Official website