USA – PepsiCo has revealed that its latest product innovation will combine its original Pepsi cola with hot chocolate.
Pepsi “cocoa” Cola will arrive in winter 2021, marking the latest concept from the Pepsi Test Kitchen.
Inspired by “the unofficial beverage of winter”, the new drink is a blend of cocoa and a hint of marshmallow mixed with Pepsi cola.
“We are confident we nailed Pepsi “Cocoa” Cola and can’t wait to get this in the hands of cola fans this winter.”
Vice President of marketing at Pepsi – Todd Kaplan
Pepsi initially announced the innovation on Twitter, requiring 2,021 retweets for the drink to officially launch in the New Year, reports Foodbev.
“There is nothing more classic than hot cocoa on a winter day, but this year has been anything but typical,” said Todd Kaplan, vice president of marketing at Pepsi.
He added, “So why not bring together the delicious taste of a Pepsi with the delicious, wintery taste of chocolate and marshmallow and bring some unexpected joy to our fans this season? We are confident we nailed Pepsi “Cocoa” Cola and can’t wait to get this in the hands of cola fans this winter.”
With the launch of the new drink, PepsiCo will be joining Coca-Cola in the introduction of hybrid soft beverage as the company piloted its Coca-Cola with Coffee in Japan in 2018 and is now offered in more than 30 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Vietnam, Turkey and Italy.
The leading snack company is also leveraging on the use of direct-to-consumer shopping experience with the launch of ‘Make Your Own Variety Pack’.
The platform is giving its consumers an opportunity to get creative with customization, allowing them to mix-and-match different Frito-Lay snacks to create a customizable 20-count variety pack for US$10.
According to PepsiCo, this new offering marries the convenience of online shopping, as shopping for snacks online has grown over 100 percent year-over-year, with the customizable variety consumers are seeking.
The latest Frito-Lay U.S. Snack Index1 found that two out of three Americans would be more likely to purchase a variety pack of snacks if they had the ability to customize it.
“Since we launched Snacks.com earlier this year, we’ve seen it resonate with consumers, and our team has uncovered insights to continue giving our consumers more of what they want,” said Michael Lindsey, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer, Frito-Lay North America.
“Our ability to own the end-to-end value chain enables us to deliver customized offerings like ‘Make Your Own Variety Pack’ to create a more personalized snacking experience.”
This option is now available in 24 states located in the Eastern U.S., in addition to Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, which is the first step of a multi-phase rollout to bring this level of customization to consumers nationwide by early 2021.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE
