Talking Rain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Talking Rain
IndustryConsumer packaged goods
Founded1987
Headquarters
Preston, Washington
,
United States
Key people
  • Chris Hall CEO[1]
ProductsTalking Rain Waters, Sparkling Ice
Number of employees
250-500[2]
Websitewww.talkingrain.com
Sparkling Ice design trademark

Talking Rain is a privately held beverage company based in Preston, Washington that manufactures still and sparkling waters. Sparkling Ice accounts for the majority of their business.

History[]

Products

Talking Rain was founded in 1987 with two Talking Rain-branded sparkling waters.[3] In 1992, the company began production of Sparkling Ice.[4] They also moved to their current location in Preston, Washington that same year.

In 1997 the company changed their sweetener to sucralose, becoming the first US beverage company to do so.[5]

In 2014, Kevin Durant, the former Oklahoma City Thunder forward, signed an endorsement deal with Sparkling Ice under Roc Nation Sports.[6][7]

In 2014, 2015 and 2016 the company was recognized in the Inc. 5000 list.[8]

In August 2017, Talking Rain signed a distribution agreement with Tata Global Beverages to distribute Himalayan mineral water in the U.S.[9]

In 2018, Talking Rain launched a rebranded bottle label and changed the Sparkling Ice formula to include colors from natural sources.[10]

Kevin Klock was president and CEO of the company from 2010 to 2017; he left abruptly after alleged accusations of sexual harassment by a former Talking Rain employee.[11] Later, the matter was resolved, and the case was dismissed.[12][13][10] Marcus Smith was interim CEO until April 2018, when Chris Hall took over the position, and Smith became president of the company.[10]

In January 2019, company introduced voice skill for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for consumers to check Sparking Ice cocktail and mocktail recipes.[14]

According to Nielsen, as of June 15, 2019 Sparkling Ice had about $500 million in annual retail sales with a 14.9% increase in year-to-date dollar sales.[15]

In March 2020 Talking Rain joined The Recycling Partnership, an environmental nonprofit based in Falls Church, Virginia, to promote consumer recycling education and sending more quality recyclables back into the circular economy.[16]

Talking Rain launched a national campaign Cheers to Heroes in May 2020 whos ambassador is Alyson Hannigan, to bring recognition to America’s hometown heroes who put their own lives at risk to go to work and serve the public during the COVID-19 by asking consumers to nominate a friend, peer, co-worker, or neighbor who is considered an everyday hero. to win cash prizes.[17] Similarly, Chris Hall announced Sparkling Ice Cheers to You Beautification Project where Talking Rain will spend $250,000 across Summerville, South Carolina; Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Bedford, Texas for the restoration of the public spaces.[18] The second annual Sparkling Ice Cheers to Heroes campaign was announced in April 2021 to honor and celebrate America’s everyday heroes.[19]

In January 2021 Talking Rain collaborated with Terrapass and purchased carbon offsets to address scope 1 and 2 emissions by funding more than 28,000 metric tons of carbon reduction to address its natural gas use and fleet emissions in the United States.[20]

In July 2021, Adam Lapp was promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales, Nina Morrison to Senior Vice President of Community Experience, and Ken Sylvia was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.[21]

Products[]

In 2006, they launched two more products, Twist and ActivWater, which were produced until 2011, when Talking Rain decided to focus their business on the Sparkling Ice; this year,[when?] Talking Rain generated $60 million in revenue, up 140% from the year before. In 2013, the beverage represented 95% of the company's sales.[3][4][22]

In October 2018, Talking Rain released a caffeinated version of Sparkling Ice.[23]

In May 2020, the company launched an alkaline water, Talking Rain Essentials Hydration Water in collaboration with Waterboys which was relaunched in 2021 as Talking Rain AQA™.[24]

In 2020, Talking Rain announced the hybrid sports drink Talking Rain Essentials (TRE) and released a new hard seltzer beverage, Sparkling Ice Spiked in August 2020.[25]

In June 2021 Sparkling Ice Superfruit, the brand’s first non-alcoholic line extension that is sweetened with Stevia leaf was introduced which contains vitamin B, C, and D.[26]

References[]

  1. ^ Avery, Brad (April 10, 2018). "People Moves: Chris Hall Named CEO of Talking Rain". .
  2. ^ "Kevin Klock is out as Talking Rain CEO", Puget Sound Business Journal, March, 10, 2017
  3. ^ a b Strauss, Karsten. "Turning Water Into Cash: The Unlikely Success Of Talking Rain". Forbes. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Garnic, Coral (January 21, 2014). "Sparkling ICE's big splash revives TalkingRain". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  5. ^ "About Us – Talking Rain". www.talkingrain.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  6. ^ "KD signs major Roc Nation-negotiated deal". ESPN.com. July 15, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "Kevin Durant signs with Sparkling Ice". ABC7 San Francisco. July 15, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  8. ^ "Talking Rain Beverage Company: Number 2711 on the 2016 Inc. 5000". Inc.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Talking Rain, Tata Beverages Strike DSD Alliance". Consumer Goods Technology. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Under New CEO, Talking Rain Charts Path to Growth - BevNET.com". BevNET.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  11. ^ "CEO of Talking Rain Beverage fired after sexual assault, lawsuit contends", Seattle Times, November 8, 2017
  12. ^ "Order Of Dismissal Page One". Flickr. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  13. ^ "COURT DISMISSAL - PAGE TWO". Flickr. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  14. ^ "Sparkling Ice Adds Amazon, Google Voice Skills". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  15. ^ "When The Bubble's Bursting: Inside LaCroix's Decline". BevNET.com. July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  16. ^ "Talking Rain joins The Recycling Partnership". Waste Today. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "Talking Rain partners with nonprofit to recognize front-line workers". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  18. ^ Bienasz, Gabrielle (September 22, 2020). "This CEO Wants to Make Towns More Beautiful--One Pickleball Court at a Time". Inc.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "Sparkling Ice Taps Gymnast Gabby Douglas for Cheers to Heroes Campaign". Brewbound. April 14, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  20. ^ "Community Service Spotlight: Casey's, GPM, OnCue & Plaid Pantry". Convenience Store News. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  21. ^ Ice, Sparkling. "Talking Rain Beverage Company Announces Three Leadership Team Promotions". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  22. ^ "Ice on Fire | Seattle Business Magazine". seattlebusinessmag.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "Sparkling Ice debuts caffeinated line". BevIndustry. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  24. ^ "Talking Rain Essentials Hydration Water". www.bevindustry.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  25. ^ Withmore, Jerry (September 10, 2020). "Sparkling Ice 'Spiked' Shakes Up The Hard Seltzer Industry". Tech Geeked. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  26. ^ "Sparkling Ice Launches Superfruit Line Extension". BevNET.com. June 23, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.

External links[]

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