Pepsi Raw is cancelled

Pepsi Raw was launched in the UK on-trade in early 2008. Made with cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup, it was presented as a natural alternative to brand Pepsi and its competitors.

Towards the end of July, it was reported that Pepsi Raw bottler Britvic was reviewing the future of the product following lower than expected sales.

Last year, Pepsi Raw included a Twitter tag on cans and asked consumers to share their thoughts on the soda in 140 characters or less. The Pepsi Raw Twitter site currently has 1,173 followers but has not been updated since 28 January this year.

According to Marketing magazine, a PepsiCo spokesperson confirmed the brand had been dropped, saying: “Innovation is at the heart of our business. Pepsi Raw has had great success in bars and pubs, where we knew it would perform well. However, the rollout to grocery has been less successful, which is why we’ve taken the decision to withdraw the brand from the UK market.”

PepsiCo was the first new brand from Pepsi in the UK since the launch of Pepsi Max in 1993. In the 2008 Beverage Innovation Awards, Pepsi Raw won the ‘Best new adult drink’ category.

Source: Marketing