No Slam Dunk. Hurdles and Questions Remain. Is Trump on Board?
April 3, 2025
Momentum is growing within the Trump Administration to cut carbonated soft drinks from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. US Health Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced late last week...
PepsiCo to Enter Gut Soda Market With $1.95B Poppi Acquisition
April 3, 2025
A big question for independent US Pepsi bottlers is whether they are in line to distribute two brands at the center of key PepsiCo-related deals this year. The newest deal is PepsiCo’s pending acquisition of prebiotic soda leader Poppi for $1.95 billion, announced on March 17 (BD sent an email news alert to subscribers). The other is the...
KDP Seeks Double-Digit Energy Share With Ghost and More
March 11, 2025
This year is shaping up to be pivotal for the US energy category. An already dynamic 2025 has been marked by Celsius Energy’s pending acquisition of fast-growing Alani Nu. This comes as Keurig Dr Pepper begins to integrate Ghost Energy and Alani Nu competitor Bloom Energy into its distribution network as part of an aggressive push into...
Beverage Digest hosted its annual Future Smarts conference last December in New York City. The day’s lineup of speakers included leaders from three of the largest US beverage companies — Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper. The executives sat for interviews on stage with Beverage Digest Editor & Publisher Duane Stanford. Here are highlights as the speakers looked ahead to 2025...
Trade Group Calls Change a ‘Curve Ball.’ Coke CEO Sees ‘Manageable Problem’
February 18, 2025
President Donald Trump announced last week that he will impose a 25% tariff on aluminum and steel next month while closing “loopholes and exemptions” for all US trade partners. Exemptions will be eliminated...
Wall Street Panel Discusses What’s at Stake in Pepsi-Coke Share Gap
January 9, 2025
BD hosted its annual Future Smarts conference in New York City on Dec. 16. The day’s discussion threads included the growing carbonated soft drink market share gap between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in the US. Through the first three quarters of 2024, Coca-Cola held a 40 share of CSDs at US retail after a +0.4 point increase. PepsiCo held a 27 share after -0.7 point decrease. (Keurig Dr Pepper held a 24.5 share after a -0.9 point decline.) As the table below shows,
Pilot Projects in 2023 Expanded Nationally Late Last Year
January 9, 2025
Turn over a can or bottle of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in the US and you’ll find a new ingredient — stevia. The natural sweetener is now part of a formula that already included aspartame and acesulfame potassium. The new...
PepsiCo’s Muscle Milk Declines Through Three Quarters
December 11, 2024
Coca-Cola’s Fairlife Core Power continued to lead growth in the $6 billion US protein shake category at retail for the first nine months of this year, according to BD data. The brand grew sales +39% by dollars and +29% by volume in the period, as shown in the...