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...

The agreement to open the US government last week included a potential beverage industry casualty — hemp-based THC drinks. As part of the deal, Congress and President Donald Trump closed a loophole embedded in the 2018 agriculture act that previously legalized hemp farming. Last week’s law will effectively ban hemp-based THC drinks a year from now, following a grace period. The loophole in the 2018 act has unintentionally led to the proliferation of ready-to-drink canned beverages infused with psychoactive hemp-based THC, mostly by way of a cannabinoid called Delta-9. Manufacturers have...

Green Sheets: Sports Drinks, Sparkling Water, Bottled Water

The US sports drink category at retail declined during the first quarter of this year as Prime Hydration continued

Gatorade Will Look to Deepen Gen Z Ties. Plus, New Energy for Rockstar.

Executives and operators from PepsiCo’s North America bottling system met recently in Las Vegas to discuss market plans for 2025. Ram Krishnan, who took over in January as CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America, urged the audience

Prime Hydration Rocket Ship Slows.

Sparkling Water Performance Strong, as Sparkling Ice, LaCroix, Polar Add Volume.

Category Green Sheets: CSDs, Energy, Sports, Water (Sparkling, Plain, Enhanced)

Carbonated soft drink (CSD) volume at US retail declined -1.5% during the first quarter of 2024, which was less than

Today’s special issue is a top-level view of that annual all-channel Fact Book report. The following pages cover major beverage companies, categories, trademarks, and brands. It’s your quick reference guide to how the biggest players are performing in both liquid refreshment beverages and carbonated soft drinks, and it provides a snapshot of the intense competition in the US beverage business.

For much more detail into the numbers, you’ll want to purchase the full Fact Book, available HERE. This deep report covers CSDs, packaged water, sports drinks, energy drinks, juice, and ready-to-drink coffee, and tea. It includes charts and tables breaking down last year’s results and trends. A comprehensive set of “Datasheets” in Excel format provides brand level detail, grouped by company and category.

This Fact Book and all-channel data is based on Beverage Digest’s evaluation, analysis, and estimates of information obtained both publicly and from confidential sources. The team has organized and maintains the data within a relational database. Our annual industry estimates are fine-tuned as we develop new information.

For nearly three decades, Beverage Digest’s Fact Book has become a trusted tool for the industry, and we are proud to bring you the following overview...

As readers of this newsletter know, my adult son and daughter, ages 27 and 22, are an important window for me. What I see and hear from them has been valuable to my understanding of how young consumers digest media and consider brands. My kids and their friends are an antidote to the skepticism that can infect a 53-year-old brain.

It turns out my daughter and her friends are fans of “crispy” Diet Coke. And there is ritual around the drink. First, a Diet Coke goes into the freezer to get near the tipping point to ice. Next, ice is added to a reusable cup. On top of the ice goes a sachet of True Lime, which is a crystallized Lime powder (that I hadn’t heard of). The near-frozen Diet Coke is then poured over the ice and lime powder, creating the desired “crispy” effect. As my daughter explains: “It’s cold, carbonated, and super refreshing. Lime makes it even more crispy.” So young people do drink Diet Coke?

That wasn’t all she surprised me with. I’ve often...

In May, BD reported on a steep sales decline for Coca-Cola’s AHA sparkling water as the brand was delisted at Publix and Coke discontinued caffeinated versions. Now, Coca-Cola has confirmed to BD that AHA will be scaled back next year in the US as Coca-Cola focuses on Topo Chico. The decision comes as Coca-Cola and other major beverage producers focus on premium water segments, both still...