People will stand by sparkling water until the end of time. What started out as a trend quickly became the norm, with bottles of Perrier and cans of LaCroix in many fridges and at tons of food establishments. LaCroix tends to get lots of media attention for their deliciously subtle flavors, superfans who stand by it, and those who find the drink extremely overrated. But more recently, they’re receiving some flack for their cans.
The company is set to release Cuban-inspired drinks with flavors like Coffea Exotica, Coconut Cola, and Cubana. In a press release, the company explained that these flavors were meant to celebrate the Cuban influences, and Hispanic and South American cultures, heavily present in Miami, Florida, describing these cans as mimicking Miami’s “exotic and lively” personality.
Some people aren’t pleased with LaCroix’s idea of Miami and Cuban culture. Cans of Coconut Cola just have a coconut on the can, but it’s the other two flavors that are causing some problems. The Coffea Exotica can depicts a tall, curvy woman dressed in a tight tank top, short skirt, and high heels — all in bright colors. Her knee is perched on a white teacup with “habana” printed on it. (Note: Habana is the capital of Cuba.)
Yeah, people are not digging these looks.
The Cubana can shows the same woman, this time in a tiny red bikini, sitting on the rim of a mojito on the beach. JennyLee Molina, a public relations professional who runs the Instagram for 305 Cafecito, had some things to say about these cans:
“Can we all agree that the cheesy depiction of Cuba and our heritage by people who don’t understand the U.S. Hispanic culture is a little insulting? 🙄 This is a brand known for impeccable design and branding which we REALLY love, but when they launched this product they completely missed the mark. Was this designed in 1996? These fonts are hurting our eyes, @lacroixwater. And what’s with the bikini-clad girl? 😔 You can do better than that! And what is ‘coffea?'”
For some clarification, coffea is a coffee plant. But the rest of her points are entirely valid. She calls the brand out on their exploitation (and rather imaginative idea) of the Cuban influences in the U.S., and makes sure to point out that a woman wearing a bikini on the can is really unnecessary. Most of the comments on her post seem to strongly agree.
The Daily Meal reported that “a spokesperson for the National Beverage Corporation, which owns LaCroix, said that these cans were already tested by 35,000 consumers — many of whom reportedly live in Cuban-American communities — who gave mostly positive feedback, so they are expected to rollout nationwide nonetheless.”
We’d be interested in seeing this feedback, considering how many people agreed with Molina’s critique of the new flavors and design. We’re sure we’ll be hearing more about this when they officially launch, but until then, we’ll be paying extra close attention to anything coming from LaCroix.
