Coca-Cola's BodyArmor has launched BodyArmor Fit, the brand's first sparkling sports drink, in 12-oz slim cans. Each can contains 290mg of electrolytes, 60mg of caffeine, choline, and green tea extract, with zero sugar and no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or dyes. Flavors are Mixed Berry, Tropical Passionfruit, Citrus Grapefruit, Orange Mango, and Watermelon Lime. NFL quarterback Joe Burrow is fronting the launch campaign.
Poppi has launched 7.5-oz mini cans at Walmart stores and online in flavors Cream Soda, Shirley Temple, and Wild Berry in single cans and 6-packs...
Resealable C-store Bottle Launched for Pepsi, Dew in Select Markets
June 4, 2026
PepsiCo is betting on a new 13-oz PET bottle priced below $2 to reach consumers who are walking past the cold vault to better afford higher prices for gas and groceries. The company is rolling out the smaller bottle across five of its biggest sparkling brands. We dive deep in a Q&A with PepsiCo's US Sparkling Chief JP Bittencourt.
Korean food companies Paldo and Hy have launched Arih, a Western-Korean fusion food and beverage brand developed with the Korean pop (K-pop) boy band BTS. The brand was launched exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide and on walmart.com, the companies announced on April 24. The beverage lineup includes Arih Postbiotic Energy Drink in seven fruit-based flavors packed in 12-oz slim cans. The drink is made with natural caffeine, four fermented traditional ingredients, and no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners, the companies said. A second drink is called Arih Dual Biotic Soda in seven flavors combining prebiotics and postbiotics with 3,000mg of dietary fiber. Both beverages are zero or low sugar. The brand also includes single-serve noodles. Members of BTS had input on the brand name, flavors, and packaging throughout product development, the companies said. US distribution is handled by HYH, a joint venture created to support Paldo and Hy's global expansion. In 2018, BTS became the first K-pop group to...
Coca-Cola has unveiled a limited-edition America250 packaging collection tied to the US 250th anniversary, including custom bottles and the brand's first-ever America250 collectible mini-cans. Each mini-can features a design unique to one of the 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., with artwork taken from local symbols and culture. Additional Coca-Cola brands including BodyArmor, Gold Peak, Vitaminwater, and Smartwater will also release commemorative packaging as part of a broader yearlong initiative.
PepsiCo's Mountain Dew has launched American Dew, a limited-edition summer redesign on 12-oz cans and 20-oz bottles nationwide. The packages honor the brand's 1948 Tennessee origins and the US 250th anniversary. A companion digital ad spot, "Hoedown | Mountain Dew: An American Original," traces the brand's Tennessee roots...
Launch Plan Announced for 'Gatorlyte Longer Lasting' Brand Variant
April 23, 2026
The last time PepsiCo overhauled its Gatorade strategy, Indra Nooyi was chairman and CEO. Back in 2009, amid the Great Recession, Nooyi attributed a slump in Gatorade sales to the fact that couch potato consumers, who “didn’t really have a right to exist in the Gatorade world,” had turned to other beverages, including tap water. The brand’s solution at the time was...
This special issue of the BD newsletter is a high-level overview of our comprehensive 31st Edition of the Beverage Digest Fact Book, which we released today. The Fact Book details all-channel sales results across the US non-alcoholic beverage industry for 2025, offering a look at the intense competition within the U.S. non-alcoholic beverage business...
Protein Shake Category Soars as RTD Coffee, Tea Categories Slide in 2025
March 25, 2026
The ready-to-drink protein shake category posted double-digit growth US retail for 2025, while ready-to-drink coffee and tea declined. As shown in the Green Sheet with this newsletter, the protein...
Coca-Cola has released two new flavors of Mr. Pibb following a limited relaunch with a new formula and visual identity last year to make way expansion this year. The two new flavors are Mr. Pibb Punchin' Peach and Thrillin' Vanilla. Both are available in 12-oz cans and 20-oz PET bottles. The drinks will...
Can Beer Playbook Used By Bang, Celsius Work Again in Competitive Category?
March 5, 2026
Daniel Blake knows a little something about rising again. Three years ago, he took a leave of absence from Anheuser-Busch InBev after the conservative backlash against a Bud Light brand partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Blake oversaw the marketer primarily responsible for the campaign. Many Bud Light distributors were angered as well as they lost almost a third of their sales during the controversy, after consumers boycotted the beer. Blake and his subordinate eventually left the company. Today, Blake is eight months into the US launch of his energy drink brand, PHX Hydration Energy. "I believe things happen for a reason," he said of the end of his Anheuser-Busch career. "And it's not the event itself that defines you — it's your response." Blake is founder and GM of One 11 Brands, which markets PHX (pronounced Phoenix). Following a three-market roll-out last year, PHX is expanding to 14 states this quarter. Blake has enlisted Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy, a media personality and influencer known for pushing back against political correctness. Blake entered a US energy drink market dominated by three powerful competitors — Monster Beverage, Red Bull, and Celsius Holdings. Even more daunting, PHX is one of many challengers looking to carve out space in a crowded but growing category. US energy drink volume grew almost +10% at retail last year as dollar sales jumped +12%, as shown in the Green Sheet with this story. What Blake has going for him is distribution within the very Budweiser beer network that was at the center of his exit from AB InBev. Bud distributors have a track record of helping to build fast-growing energy drink brands such as Monster, Celsius, Alani Nu, Bang, and Ghost that would eventually leave for distribution partnerships or transactions with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper. Those beer networks are now eager to replace the lost brands. In a recent interview — which has been condensed and edited for clarity — BD's Duane Stanford started by asking Blake how he plans to differentiate PHX?