I finally tried A.G. Barr’s Irn-Bru during a trip this month to Scotland. The carbonated soft drink is said to outsell even Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in the country. Irn-Bru is dubbed “Scotland’s other national drink,” coming after, of course, Scotch whisky. The soda has its own closely guarded “secret recipe.” At Edinburgh airport, an Irn-Bru branded orange and blue vending machine awaited my arrival — it also contained Coke, Diet Coke, and 7Up.

Irn-Bru’s flavor is hard to describe. I’ll try. While the drink has a medicinal orange color, it doesn’t taste anything like the orangy flavor of a Fanta or a Crush. There are bitter tonic notes owing to the quinine in the formula. Perhaps Irn-Bru would work well as a mixer for gin? I’m not sure of that. Apparently, young Scots...

Collection of key deals from around the industry so you don't miss a beat...

A collection of key deals from around the industry so you don't miss a beat...

Coca-Cola has announced the promotion of Latin America Operating Group President Henrique Braun to a new role as President of International Development. The appointment makes him a top contender to succeed Chairman and CEO James Quincey. When he starts officially on Jan. 1, Braun will oversee ...

Global beverage volume growth for Coca-Cola and PepsiCo remained stable for the first nine months of this year in the aftermath of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Russia-Ukraine war, ongoing zero-covid policies in China, and unpredictable interest rate environments disrupted an otherwise strong period for global volume sales.The table below shows...

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo reported mostly volume gains in various global markets for the first half of 2022. The table below shows volume performance for selected markets as reported by the public beverage...