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Home » Topics » Blue Cloud

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Monster to Develop Small Brands In-House with Coke’s Blessing

Monster Targets Liquid Death, Celsius, Hard Mtn Dew With 2023 Launches
February 1, 2023

The Beast Unleashed Alcohol Offering to Walk Careful Line, CEO Makes Clear

Monster Beverage executives announced they will use a new in-house non-alcoholic beverage incubator called Monarchy to distribute brands that aren’t yet large enough for partner Coca-Cola’s direct store delivery system. Monarchy will be operated out of...


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PepsiCo Bottler to Piggyback Hard Mtn Dew on Soda Trucks

December 19, 2022

G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, PepsiCo’s largest fully independent US franchise bottler, is preparing to distribute Hard Mtn Dew on the same “blue trucks” that distribute Pepsi-Cola and other non-alcoholic brands. In an interview at BD’s Future Smarts conference in New York on Dec. 5, G&J CEO Tim Trant said the Cincinnati-based company has applied for beer distribution licenses ...


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PepsiCo to Show New Lemon Lime Soda Brand, Pink Drink Innovations at NACS

October 1, 2022

PepsiCo will unveil a new lemon lime soda called Starry at the annual NACS show for convenience store operators that starts today, according to company sources. While details are scarce, BD has learned that the drink is a new brand within the lemon lime soda category dominated by Coca-Cola’s Sprite. Starry will include regular and zero sugar versions, according to the sources. It will be available nationally starting in...


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Blue Cloud Distribution GM Says, ‘We’re in This for the Long Haul.’

Unit Now Holds Permits in 31 States
September 22, 2022

BD spoke with Blue Cloud General Manager Emiliano Di Vincenzo to seek additional clarity and to update progress with both Hard Mtn Dew and Blue Cloud. Hard Mtn Dew distributor Blue Cloud Distribution, set up last year by PepsiCo, is currently delivering products in nine states, according to the company. Blue Cloud Distribution also has secured federal alcohol wholesale permits in...


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PepsiCo-Owned Blue Cloud Distribution GM Says, ‘We’re in This for the Long Haul.’

September 15, 2022

      Hard Mtn Dew distributor Blue Cloud Distribution, set up last year by PepsiCo, is currently delivering products in nine states, according to the company. The states are Florida, Tennessee, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia. To date, Blue Cloud Distribution has secured federal alcohol wholesale permits in 31 states. The permits come from the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which collects federal excise taxes on alcohol and regulates labeling and marketing for alcohol products. Depending on the state, additional alcohol distribution permits could be required by state and county governments. In the US, alcohol beverages are regulated under a “three-tier” system made up of a state-by-state patchwork of regulations that generally prohibit vertical ownership of producers, wholesale distributors, and retailers. PepsiCo’s arrangement with Boston Beer for Hard Mtn Dew, as well as the company’s foray into alcohol distribution has generated tension with US beer distributors and confusion as to the entity’s operating model under the three-tier system. BD spoke with Blue Cloud General Manager Emiliano Di Vincenzo to seek additional clarity and to update progress with both Hard Mtn Dew and Blue Cloud...


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Boston Beer Sees Dew Alcohol Extension as Growth Rising Star

Still, Regulatory Hurdles for PepsiCo’s Blue Cloud Unit Slow Expansion
August 2, 2022

Hard Mtn Dew was a bright spot in an otherwise challenging second quarter for Boston Beer. Founder and Chairman Jim Koch said the flavored malt beverage (FMB) product, produced under a license from...


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Hard Mtn Dew Expands to New States as Market Share Soars in Existing Markets

May 9, 2022

Boston Beer CEO Says Trial ‘Higher Than I’ve Ever Seen.’ Scarcity, Cross-Border Sales Likely Bolstering Demand. Boston Beer’s Hard Mtn Dew, distributed by PepsiCo’s Blue Cloud unit, has now expanded to...


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Opening Thoughts: March 17, 2022

March 17, 2022

While still early, there is growing evidence that leveraging established brands for new alcohol products is a winning way to break through tired or saturated categories.

As you will read in today’s issue, demand for PepsiCo’s Hard Mtn Dew appears to be outpacing the company’s ability to add distribution (story below). That’s a nice place to be and likely not by accident. PepsiCo and partner Boston Beer have launched in states where non-alcoholic Dew is already a strong seller, so there is built-in demand.


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Alcohol Retailers in Florida, Tennessee, Iowa Clamor for Hard Mtn Dew

PepsiCo's Blue Cloud Aims to Service "All Retail Customers" in Phased Roll Out
March 17, 2022

Hard Mtn Dew has created a stir among some independent liquor store operators in three states where Boston Beer and PepsiCo launched the alcoholic soda one month ago. Operators in Florida, Tennessee, and Iowa told BD that they have so far ...


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PepsiCo’s Blue Cloud Operation Sets Sights on Half of US States So Far

Alcohol Permits Issued in 17 States. Eight Additional States Registered
December 17, 2021

PepsiCo’s new Blue Cloud Distribution unit has now secured federal alcohol wholesale permits in at least 17 states as it prepares to launch Hard Mtn Dew next year. The company has registered a corporation called “Blue Cloud Distribution” in another eight states. Should federal alcohol wholesale permits be issued for those, Blue Cloud would then ...

NOTE: The Green Sheet included with this article maps the states where PepsiCo has secured an alcohol wholesale distribution permit from the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which collects federal excise taxes on alcohol and regulates labeling and marketing for alcohol products.


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