When you think of Pepsi, you probably think of the drink you’re offered when you’re craving a Coke. But the PepsiCo Inc. brand includes much more than regular soda, and it increasingly relies on energy drinks to boost its bottom line, according to Front Office Sports.
“In August, PepsiCo acquired a $550 million stake in Celsius Holdings, which offers fitness-focused energy drinks. In September, it launched caffeinated energy drink Gatorade Fast Twitch with the NFL,” the article said.
PepsiCo Inc. also produces an energy drink version of Mountain Dew and owns Rockstar Energy, CNBC reported.
All these energy drink investments help explain the company’s recent economic success.
“PepsiCo reported a 9% year-over-year increase in third-quarter revenue to $21.97 billion, beating analysts’ estimates of $20.84 billion,” Front Office Sports reported.
Its revenue numbers could get even better next year, when Gatorade Fast Twitch is made available to regular consumers. Currently, the preworkout drink, designed to help athletes — whether amateur or professional — perform at their highest ability, is only offered to NFL players as part of the league’s deal with PepsiCo, according to CNBC.
“Gatorade worked with the NFL and its sports performance experts to develop the specific (Fast Twitch) formula,” the article said.
The drink is sugar-free and uncarbonated, and business leaders hope that will make it attractive to consumers who have been concerned about energy drinks’ typical sugar content.
Gatorade Fast Twitch “comes in a petite 12-ounce bottle with brightly colored packaging. While smaller, it tastes pretty similar to traditional Gatorade. A bottle of Fast Twitch contains electrolytes, B-vitamins and 200 milligrams of caffeine. For comparison, a 12-ounce can of Red Bull has nearly half as much caffeine but 37 grams of sugar,” CNBC reported.