Giant Soda Company Pepsi Increases Caffeine Content Of Strong Coffee Beverage

The standard Pepsi soda drink contains 38 milligrams of caffeine while the new coffee-infused drink is way higher, but still below the caffeine content of the same amount of coffee.

Todd Kaplan, PepsiCo’s vice president of marketing, said that for the last 20 to 30 years, their cola has been in a stagnant category. He said they made these adjustments in tune with the preferences of their consumers. According to Kaplan, as the wants and desires of consumers continue evolving, their company also needs to evolve to meet those preferences.

Coffee-based Drink

Available in vanilla and coffee flavors, Pepsi Café was launched months after PepsiCo’s strongest rival, Coca-Cola, launched its own coffee-based drink, which the rival company says is sugar-free.

Increasing public concern about their health and sugar consumption has caused cola brands to suffer. Most consumers nowadays are on the lookout for beverages that can benefit them greatly in terms of more energy and nutrition.

Trying Hybrid Beverages

Additionally, drinkers are also becoming more open to trying hybrid beverages like spiked seltzers. These new beverages combine malt liquor or spirits with fizzy, flavored liquids. Healthy types who are trying to avoid sugary drinks are getting attracted to these hybrid beverages. This new beverage category has been projected to attain sales of more than $1.5 billion at the end of this year.

This is not the first venture of PepsiCo into the coffee. More than two decades ago, the giant soft-drink company performed a test run of a breakfast beverage they call Pepsi Kona for about a year. A decade later, the giant company which is based in Harrison, New York, launched Pepsi Max Cino, another type of coffee-flavored drink that boasts of zero sugar content.

The executives at PepsiCo believe they have enough bases for their new coffee-infused soda’s launch. Kaplan said consumers are more health-conscious today compared in the past, and they have already embraced this trend.

PepsiCo’s director of research and development, Danielle Barbaro, said she and her team were even surprised by the synergy between coffee and cola. After tasting it, they say there is complete harmony and blend with the flavors.