Pepsi To Sparkle With IZZE Acquisition
CHICAGO -- PepsiCo Inc. on Tuesday announced that it bought IZZE Beverage Co., a move that adds sparkling juices to its lineup as the company looks to appeal to consumers who want alternatives to sugary soft drinks, according to Reuters.
IZZE's drinks, such as sparkling apple and sparkling grapefruit, are sold in grocery stores, delis, Starbucks Corp. coffee shops and other stores. They are currently available in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and South Pacific. Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo said it would keep IZZE's distribution system intact, but increase the brand's marketing efforts.
The caffeine-free drinks, which get their sugars from fruit juice, not from refined sugar, will become part of a lineup that already includes options beyond Pepsi's namesake soft drinks, such as Tropicana juices, SoBe teas, energy drinks and Aquafina water. Pepsi also has joint ventures to sell Lipton iced teas and Starbucks coffee drinks.
IZZE, which was founded in 2002, will remain based in Boulder, Colo. and be run as a separate unit reporting to Pepsi-Cola North America president and chief executive Dawn Hudson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, Reuters said.
IZZE's drinks, such as sparkling apple and sparkling grapefruit, are sold in grocery stores, delis, Starbucks Corp. coffee shops and other stores. They are currently available in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and South Pacific. Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo said it would keep IZZE's distribution system intact, but increase the brand's marketing efforts.
The caffeine-free drinks, which get their sugars from fruit juice, not from refined sugar, will become part of a lineup that already includes options beyond Pepsi's namesake soft drinks, such as Tropicana juices, SoBe teas, energy drinks and Aquafina water. Pepsi also has joint ventures to sell Lipton iced teas and Starbucks coffee drinks.
IZZE, which was founded in 2002, will remain based in Boulder, Colo. and be run as a separate unit reporting to Pepsi-Cola North America president and chief executive Dawn Hudson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, Reuters said.