Glaceau
Glaceau is a U.S. bottled water brand (smartwater) wholly owned by The Coca-Cola Company since 2007, selling vapor-distilled and alkaline purified water through Coca-Cola's retail, convenience, and online distribution channels to health-conscious and active-lifestyle consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Glaceau does
Glaceau is a U.S.-based beverage brand wholly owned by The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) following a 2007 acquisition valued at $4.1 billion. Founded in 1996 by J. Darius Bikoff and Kevin Mata as a functional beverage company, Glaceau commercializes the smartwater product line, a portfolio of purified bottled water positioned for everyday hydration and active-lifestyle consumers. The brand does not operate as an independent legal entity with separate financials; its operating results are consolidated into Coca-Cola's reported figures.
Glaceau's product technology centers on vapor distillation — a purification process the brand describes as "inspired by the clouds" — combined with electrolyte addition for taste enhancement. The portfolio consists of two SKUs: the original smartwater (vapor-distilled with electrolytes) and smartwater alkaline with antioxidant (ionized to 9.5 pH for active-lifestyle use). Both products are sold as finished bottled water through Coca-Cola's distribution apparatus rather than as equipment, software, or recurring services; there is no API, SDK, or developer-facing surface area.
The business model is a consumer packaged goods model: one-time retail purchase of bottled water through grocery, convenience, mass, and online channels (including Coca-Cola's own online storefront and three physical retail locations in Atlanta, Orlando, and Las Vegas). Pricing is set at retail and not publicly disclosed on the brand site. Go-to-market relies on Coca-Cola's global distribution network combined with celebrity endorsement (Jennifer Aniston) and standard consumer-brand marketing channels (social media, mobile apps, email). The end customer is a broad, horizontal segment of health-conscious individual consumers rather than enterprise or B2B accounts.
Glaceau firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Glaceau
- Legal name
- Glaceau (brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company)
- Website
- https://glaceau.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Glaceau is a U.S. bottled water brand (smartwater) wholly owned by The Coca-Cola Company since 2007, selling vapor-distilled and alkaline purified water through Coca-Cola's retail, convenience, and online distribution channels to health-conscious and active-lifestyle consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Glaceau industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bottled Water
- NAICS
- Bottled Water Manufacturing (312112)
- SIC
- Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bottled Water (Still, Sparkling, Enhanced) (CRADAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Purified/RO Bottled Water Production (AFAFACAC), Alkaline/Ionized Bottled Water Production (AFAFACAG), Flavored/Enhanced Bottled Water Production (Essenced, Vitamin, Electrolyte) (AFAFACAF)
Keywords
Where Glaceau is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Glaceau business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Beverage Product Sales: Revenue generated through the sale of bottled water products (smartwater original and smartwater alkaline) through retail, convenience, and online channels as part of the Coca-Cola beverage portfolio
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Glaceau product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Glaceau produces and sells the smartwater line of purified bottled water. The original smartwater is purified through a vapor distillation process inspired by the clouds, with electrolytes added for taste. The portfolio also includes smartwater alkaline with antioxidant, ionized to a 9.5 pH level for active lifestyles. Both products are marketed as smart hydration choices for everyday consumption.
Product overview
Glaceau smartwater is a portfolio of purified bottled water products distributed under the Coca-Cola Company brand. The product line consists of two offerings: the original smartwater (purified through vapor distillation with electrolytes) and smartwater alkaline with antioxidant (ionized to 9.5 pH for active lifestyles). Both products are marketed as smart hydration options for everyday consumption, with the original positioned for general use and the alkaline variant targeting consumers with active lifestyles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- smartwater: Pure hydration for every occasion - purified through vapor distillation with electrolytes added for taste
- smartwater alkaline with antioxidant
Products and services
- smartwater Purified bottled water produced through vapor distillation, a process inspired by the clouds. Electrolytes are added for taste, providing pure and crisp hydration for everyday consumption. Targeted at general consumers seeking premium hydration.
- smartwater alkaline with antioxidant Ionized alkaline water with antioxidant properties, ionized to a 9.5 pH level, designed to fit an active lifestyle. Targeted at consumers with active lifestyles seeking functional hydration benefits.
Companies that use Glaceau
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Glaceau technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Glaceau partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Glaceau competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Poland Spring: Nestlé Waters' flagship U.S. bottled water brand with broad regional and national distribution; competes across price tiers including premium adjacent SKUs.
Direct peers
- Fiji Water: Premium still bottled water sold nationally through grocery, convenience, and foodservice; competes with smartwater for the same premium-hydration occasion and shelf set.
- Evian: Premium natural mineral water with strong brand recognition globally; competes with smartwater in the same premium hydration occasion across U.S. and international retail.
- Voss Water: Premium bottled water positioned on minimalist, design-led branding and purity; directly comparable to smartwater's premium positioning and price tier.
- Essentia Water: Ionized alkaline bottled water (9.5 pH) marketed to active-lifestyle consumers; a direct functional competitor to smartwater alkaline with antioxidant.
- Aquafina: PepsiCo's nationally distributed purified bottled water; occupies the same retail shelf set as smartwater and competes head-to-head on price and accessibility.
- Dasani: Coca-Cola's own mass-market purified bottled water; an internal portfolio sibling that competes with smartwater within the same parent distribution system on tiered occasions.
- Perrier: Sparkling mineral water brand with strong foodservice and premium retail presence; an adjacent premium hydration peer overlapping with smartwater's usage occasions.
- Core Hydration: Premium bottled water positioned around pH-balanced hydration and minimalist design; competes for the same active-lifestyle, design-conscious consumer as smartwater.
Others
- Brita (Clorox): Home water filtration brand offering pitchers and dispensers; not a direct bottled-water competitor but represents the at-home substitution alternative that could erode single-use premium water demand.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Glaceau social profiles
Digital presenceGlaceau financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Glaceau leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Glaceau funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Glaceau M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Glaceau
What does Glaceau do?
Glaceau produces and sells the smartwater line of purified bottled water. The original smartwater is purified through a vapor distillation process inspired by the clouds, with electrolytes added for taste. The portfolio also includes smartwater alkaline with antioxidant, ionized to a 9.5 pH level for active lifestyles. Both products are marketed as smart hydration choices for everyday consumption.
Is Glaceau a public or private company?
Glaceau is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Glaceau founded?
Glaceau was founded in 1996. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Glaceau based?
Glaceau is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Glaceau make money?
One revenue line is on record: beverage Product Sales.
Who are Glaceau's main competitors?
Poland Spring is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Fiji Water, Evian, Voss Water, Essentia Water, Aquafina, Dasani, Perrier and Core Hydration. Brita (Clorox) is listed as an others.
Does Glaceau have an API?
No public API is recorded for Glaceau.
What industry is Glaceau in?
Glaceau's product category is Bottled Water. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAHAC, Bottled Water (Still, Sparkling, Enhanced), with a secondary code of AFAFACAC, Purified/RO Bottled Water Production. Its NAICS code is 312112 and its SIC code is 2086.