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Perrier

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For other uses, see Perrier (disambiguation).
Perrier
CountryFrance
Introduced1898
SourceVergèze
Typesparkling
pH5.46
Calcium (Ca)147.3
Chloride (Cl)21.5
Bicarbonate (HCO3)390
Fluoride (F)0.12
Magnesium (Mg)3.4
Nitrate (NO3)18
Potassium (K)0.6
Sodium (Na)9
Sulfate (SO4)33
TDS475
Websitehttp://www.perrier.com
All concentrations in milligrams per liter (mg/L); pH without units

Perrier (French pronunciation: [pɛʁ.je]) is a French brand of bottled mineral water made from a spring in Vergèze in the Gard département.

About

The spring is naturally carbonated. Both the water and natural carbon dioxide gas are captured independently. Then in the bottling process, the carbon dioxide gas is added so that the level of carbonation in bottled Perrier is the same as the water of the Vergèze spring.[1][2]

Perrier is available in Europe in one liter, 750 ml, and 500 ml bottles, and in 33 cl cans. Most Perrier bottles are green and all have a distinctive 'teardrop' shape. In August 2001, the company introduced a new bottling format using polyethylene terephthalate to offer Perrier in plastic, a change that took 11 years to decide which material would best help retain both the water's flavor and its purported "50 million bubbles."

Perrier comes in five flavors. Unflavored, lemon, and lime are the oldest flavors. In 2007, Citron Lemon-Lime and Pamplemousse Rose (Pink Grapefruit) flavors debuted. [citation needed]

Since 2002, new varieties of Perrier have been introduced in France, Eau de Perrier is less carbonated than the original, and comes in a blue bottle. Perrier Fluo comes in "trendy" flavors such as ginger-cherry, peppermint, orange-lychee, raspberry, and ginger-lemon.

Perrier and competitor San Pellegrino are owned by the Nestlé Corporation.

History

750 ml bottle of Perrier

The spring in Southern France from which Perrier is drawn was called Les Bouillens. It has 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.[3][4]

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. (There is a genuine champagne by the name of Laurent Perrier but there is no connection.) Advertising in newspapers like the Daily Mail established the brand. Some 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.[5][6]

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 "PERRIER IS OVERPRICED", after its new sponsor, Intelligent Finance.[7]

In 1992, Perrier was bought by rival Nestlé, one of the world's leading food and drink companies.[8]

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.[9] In 2013 Perrier celebrated 150 years of the brand.

Distribution

As of January 2013, Perrier is available in 140 countries.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ Perrier Group of Canada Inc. v. Canada [1995] F.C.J. No.1571
  2. ^ "Perrier Quality Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-20. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 20 January 2013 suggested (help)
  3. ^ "Discover the perrier story". Nestlé Waters. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  4. ^ Tomlinson, Richard (2004-11-29). "Troubled waters at perrier". Fortune. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
  5. ^ James, George (1990-02-10). "Perrier Recalls Its Water in U.S. After Benzene Is Found in Bottles". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2007-09-19. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ White, Michael; A Short Course in International Marketing Blunders: Mistakes Made by Companies that Should Have Known Better, 3rd Edition; World Trade Press 2009; chapter 1
  7. ^ "Perrier ends Edinburgh comedy tie". BBC. 2006-06-14. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
  8. ^ "Perrier and Nestlé Brands | Food and Beverage Industry | Crisis Management in Branding". brandchannel.com. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  9. ^ "Perrier Restructuring Halted". Finanznachrichten.de. 2005-03-14. Retrieved 2012-06-05.
  10. ^ "Discover Perrier". Perrier.com. Retrieved December 26, 2012.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Perrier (brand).
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