Talking Rain was founded in 1987 with two Talking Rain-branded sparkling waters. In 1992, the company began production of Sparkling Ice. 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. 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, Talking Rain generated $60 million in revenue, up 140% from the year before. In 2013, the beverage represented 95% of the company's sales. In 2014, Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder forward, signed an endorsement deal with Sparkling Ice under Roc Nation Sports. In 2014, 2015 and 2016 the company was recognized in the Inc. 5000 list. In August 2017, Talking Rain signed a distribution agreement with Tata Global Beverages to distribute Himalayan mineral water in the U.S. In 2018, Talking Rain launched a rebranded bottle label and changed the Sparkling Ice formula to include colors from natural sources. 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. The former employee is suing Talking Rain for back pay and emotional distress. The company has not given a reason why Klock left Talking Rain. Later, the matter was resolved, and the case was dismissed. Marcus Smith was interim CEO until April 2018, when Chris Hall took over the position, and Smith became president of the company. In January 2019, company introduced voice skill for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for consumers to check Sparking Ice cocktail and mocktail recipes. According to Nielsen, as of June 15, 2019 Sparkling Ice have about $500 million in annual retail sales with a 14.9% increase in year-to-date dollar sales.
Products
Talking Rain Beverage Company produces still and sparkling waters for distribution throughout North America, as well as some countries abroad. In October 2018, Talking Rain released a caffeinated version of Sparkling Ice.
