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Have you ever heard about La Croix sparkling water? This carbonated water has become something of a phenomenon in recent years, however, the brand has a long and complicated history.

If you used to live or still live in the Midwest, you probably tried La Croix water and the chances are high that you or your friends have a case of LaCroix in the fridge at this moment. Today after more than thirty years, La Croix still appeals to its original Midwestern home while also becoming popular nationwide. Millennials and hipsters love La Croix due to new trendy flavors like passionfruit and tangerine, but that’s not all. La Croix is super popular in social media all over the country: there are even hashtags dedicated to it.

And what is even more important, La Croix is doing great in terms of financial growth. According to Bloomberg, sales increased by 45% between 2014 and 2015. It sounds impressive, doesn’t it?

Generally speaking, La Croix is pronounced ‘la-croy’ not ‘a kwah’ or ‘la krah,’ as many people pronounce it. The company even gave an explanation on its website to dispel all the doubts. According to the company’s website, the brand name is pronounced ‘la-croy.’ La Croix even drops a hint on how to learn La Croix pronunciation: the name "rhymes with enjoy." Now, you will memorize it easily!

What is La Croix?

In case you have somehow missed the La Croix trend, don’t worry, here is everything you need to know about this well-known drink.

In a few words, La Croix is a flavored sparkling water brand sold in bulk in most supermarkets all over the country. But how popular is it? La Croix has become a social media favorite in the last few years and it is hard to imagine mainstream pop culture without it. The trendy sparkling water in bright cans even helped revive the whole sparkling water market.

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According to the company’s reports, their sales were estimated at $662 million in 2013 and $575.1 million in 2009. National Beverage Corp., the owner of La Croix, reported net sales of $826.9 million for the 2017 financial year. While the whole sparkling water industry increased by 16.2 percent from 2015-2016, La Croix alone grew 72.7 percent.

Is La Croix brand new? No, it is definitely older than most of its lovers, but the company managed to adjust to all current trends and changes. It is fair to say that La Croix is marketed in the most fashionable way possible.

While its popularity may seem like a windfall to some people, the road to success was a long one. La Croix has actually been on the market since the 1980s as a regional brand available only in the Midwest.

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How to pronounce La Croix

As you have already read, La Croix is pronounced as ‘la-croy.’ But why? Let’s start with a little history lesson. Many, many years ago, when I was so young and beautiful… Oh no, you need another history lesson.

La Croix water originates from La Crosse, Wisconsin, where it was first produced in 1981. It was manufactured by a small family brewery called GE Heileman. Although the company has since been purchased by the Florida-based National Beverage Corp., La Croix keeps the same name. Actually, the brand name is the mix of the names of its hometown and the St. Croix River.

The French people started to colonize Wisconsin in the 17th century, establishing the state as an essential part of the fur trade. That’s we can find Francophone names like La Crosse and La Croix in Wisconsin. However, the things changed drastically: one dedicated Wisconsinite put it while defending the seltzer’s Midwestern monicker to City Pages, "anyone who pronounces that river ‘kwah’ was French and is dead."

Here is a simple video tutorial on how to pronounce La Croix in the right way:

And if you are still confused, here is another video to watch:

Other most commonly mispronounced brand names

La Croix isn’t the only mispronounced brand name. Some names are easy to say while others can be confusing. When it comes to brand names like Huawei or Givenchy, it is better to think twice. Here are other common examples of mispronounced brand names:

Nutella

How people say it: ‘nuh-tell-uh ‘
How it should be: ‘new-tell-uh ‘

IKEA

How people say it: ‘eye-key-ah’
How it should be: ‘ee-kay-uh’

Hyundai

How people say it: ‘hi-un-die’
How it should be: ‘hun-day’

Cetaphil

How people say it: ‘set-uh-fill’
How it should be: ‘seat-uh-fill’

Do you need the summary? One thing to remember – La Croix is indeed pronounced ‘la croy’ and there is a simple trick to memorize the pronunciation – the brand name rhymes with the word ‘enjoy,’ as the company wrote.

So the next time your best friend offers you a can of sparkling water, tell them you’d love some ‘la croy.’ And don’t forget about other mispronounced brand names.