Bottling executives within the US Coke and Pepsi soft drink systems have experienced a business environment during the past three years like no other in their tenures. A global pandemic shut down most fountain sales and drove consumers to retail, where a sudden sales spike stretched infrastructure and workforces. Then supply chain disruptions forced bottlers to...
Category Challenger to Evolve From ‘Great Product to a Lifestyle Brand’
September 7, 2022
Pisa Pharmaceuticals has hired former Red Bull marketer Christian Patiño Webb as CEO of the company’s Electrolit “instant hydration” business globally. He will be based in Houston and report to Pisa’s board of directors. His background in the consumer packaged goods industry includes...
Spoiler: The PepsiCo-Backed ‘Retronasal Smell’ Technology Works
August 18, 2022
BD recently wrote about the U.S. launch of Air Up, the German maker of a refillable bottle that uses pods to flavor plain water by smell instead of taste. PepsiCo is an investor in the company, which describes its technology, based on a scientific concept called “retronasal smell,” this way: “The flavored air travels from your mouth up to your olfactory center, where it’s perceived as flavor.” From packaging to materials, Air Up embodies an assortment of beverage trends that resonate with Gen Z and Millennial consumers: Healthfulness, design, personalization, technology, and sustainability. To better understand the Air Up offering, BD bought and used the product, which the...
Meanwhile, Pepsi Faces Turbulence in Latest Soda Results at Retail
August 2, 2022
As consumers face unprecedented 40-year-high price inflation for everything from gas to groceries, beverage industry watchers have kept their eyes on an important canary in the coal mine for branded drinks – growth in private label offerings. When consumers’ bank accounts are pressured, they look to lower-priced store brands to stretch the grocery budget. This year had been different, as shoppers for many...
Pepsi Adds Mid-Year Hikes for Brisk Concentrate, and Finished Rockstar, Bang
June 7, 2022
Concentrate pricing for major soft drinks brands including Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and Dr Pepper rose in the US by between +6.4% and +8.0% in 2022 compared to 2021, according to pricing memos obtained by BD. Coca-Cola Classic, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Coke Zero Sugar rose...
Private Label CSDs Fails to Make Inroads Amid Inflationary Crisis
June 7, 2022
Private label carbonated soft drinks (CSD) at US retail were unable to make progress in the first quarter of this year even though shoppers are facing unprecedented inflation at the grocery. As shown in the table, Private label CSD dollar sales barely grew in a category that was up more than...
Sprite Passes Diet Coke in Top-10 CSD Ranking, Nearly Tied With Dr Pepper
May 16, 2022
Annually, BD publishes estimated volume and value sales data for the US liquid refreshment beverages (LRB) market, as well as categories including carbon- ated soft drinks (CSD), and energy drinks. The data included in this special issue estimates beverage sales for all measured and unmeasured channels, including packaged retail, foun- tain, and vending. At retail, drinks measured are generally single-serve, direct-store-delivered (DSD) beverages. The fountain channel includes restaurants, sports and entertainment venues, and other foodservice outlets. BD now includes chilled juice in this report and in the annual Fact Book (available for purchase HERE)...
Which of these are not true?
1. Tropicana offered a cereal made to be eaten with orange juice.
2. Gatorade applied for a trademark for a virtual beverage.
3. Coke Zero Sugar launched a flavor called Byte that it says tastes like a computer pixel.
CEOs of Coke, PepsiCo Sound Notes of Caution as Inflation Grows, Persists
May 9, 2022
Plus: Energy Growth Decelerates in Convenience Channel. Snapple Plays Pricing Catch Up. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper all reported first-quarter earnings the week of April 25. The effect of inflationary pricing on consumer demand was a hot topic during earnings calls for investors. In an interview with BD, Coca-Cola CFO John Murphy...
Expects No. 2 Sports Drink Brand to Double Sales Within Four to Five Years
May 9, 2022
Late last month, former Chobani executive Federico Muyshondt took over as CEO
of BodyArmor, the sports drink and electrolyte water company that Coca-Cola purchased
in full last November. Born in Miami and raised in El Salvador, Muyshondt recalls his early introduction to the shiny US consumer packaged goods market by way of...