Soda consumption has substantially declined in the past two decades. Consumers worldwide have become more conscious about what they eat, what they drink, and the consequences of those choices on their health. By 2017, soda consumption had plummeted to a 30-year low.

If soda wasn’t selling anymore, juice was out of fashion, bottled water was commoditized, and premium water was never able to outgrow its niche, the beverage industry was faced with a big question. Who would be the successor to Big Soda? What drink could directly replace soda? What company could take over Coke and Pepsi’s multi-billion dollar market share?

In 2016, a small beverage company that had been under the radar since 1991 suddenly exploded in mainstream popularity and record sales. The Chosen One had seemingly arrived, boasting growth rates, unit volume, revenue, virality, consumer excitement that the beverage industry had not seen in decades.

La Croix, a fruit-flavored sparkling water brand, owned by National Beverage Corporation was suddenly the hottest beverage in town. A fizzy seltzer that was once laughed at as a Midwest mom’s occasional indulgence seemingly overnight became the primary drink of choice for millennials.

0:00 Big Soda At Work
2:19 Consumers Wising Up
5:42 Triumph of Science
8:09 Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo
10:00 The Industry's Reckoning
12:45 The Chosen One
15:51 Long Way Home
18:47 New Players, Same Threats
19:18 A Future of Known Unknowns