Riding a wave of increased investment and momentum, PepsiCo’s North American bottling system convened in June to discuss marketing and distribution plans for 2022. Bottling executives from the independent Pepsi system and company-owned operations attended the virtual meeting. Despite supply issues in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mood was upbeat, representing an optimism unmatched in recent years, sources told BD. This story is based on information from people who attended the meeting. This year...

Annually, BD publishes estimated volume and value sales data for the US liquid refreshment beverages (LRB) market, as well as categories including carbonated soft drinks (CSD), and energy drinks. The data included in this special issue estimates beverage consumption for all measured and unmeasured channels, including packaged retail, fountain, and vending. This report focuses on single-serve, direct-store- delivered (DSD) beverages. The fountain channel includes everything from restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell, to sports venues.

PepsiCo’s recent extension of Gatorade Zero into a protein-infused variant may be just the start of the brand as a functional platform. “I do think there is future functionality we can do with G Zero,” Gatorade SVP and General Manager Brett O’Brien said in a recent interview...