In 1860, a Dr. Perrier bought what locals had called LesBouillens or ‘bubbling waters’ and changed the name to Source Perrier. It was Napoleon III who granted the well known spring at Vergèze mineral water status in 1863.
Napoleon III gave rights to exclusively exploit the Perrier to the "Société de l'Etablissement Thermal des Eaux Minérale de Vergèze." Facilities were built for making bottled water and for bathing.
In 1894, Dr Louis Perrier began marketing the water and today Perrier the world’s most recognized and France’s best selling, sparkling mineral water.
In 1903, Sir St.-John Harmsworth, a member of the English aristocracy, invested in the property and renamed the spring (source of water) from Les Bouillens to Source Perrier, named after the dedicated physician who brought it to his attention: Dr. Perrier. He sold out his family business to buy the source of water.
In 1906 - He formed a company called "La Compagnie de la Source Perrier" and responsible for the distinctively shaped the bottle.
Perrier's famous green bottle became popular throughout Europe and was the first sparkling natural mineral water bottled in the U.S. Perrier became an intrinsic part of an active, healthy American lifestyle in the late 1970s.
The aggressive marketing of Perrier in the United States in the late 1970s resulted in great competition to the existing beverage industry and brought about legal challenges to Perrier of false advertising, regarding its advertisement about its ‘naturally sparkling’ character.
From 1981 to 2005, the company sponsored an annual comedy award in the United Kingdom, the Perrier Comedy Award. In 2002, some new flavors were introduced: ginger-cherry, peppermint, orange-litchi, raspberry or ginger-lemon.
Perrier continues to be bottled at the original source in Vergeze. In 1992 Perrier was acquired by Nestle, a Swiss corporation that is the world’s largest food conglomerate.
History of Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
