Pepsi’s Stevia-Sweetened Soda Will Hit Real-Life Stores In 3 Cities

Back in October, we told you about Pepsi’s plans to follow Coke into the mid-calorie, partly-stevia-sweetened soft drink market. Pepsi Life first went on sale in 7.5-ounce mini-cans in October, available only through Amazon. That was meant as a test before Pepsi tried putting the beverage in grocery stores. The test was apparently a success, since the green-labeled soda will be available in real-life stores.

The catch is that it will only be available in three cities. The lucky stevia-lovers of Denver, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. will be able to find Pepsi True in their grocery stores beginning this week. The tiny can experiment was successful. That serving size will remain on the market through Amazon, and 12-ounce glass bottles and 10-ounce cans will be available in retail stores.

As consumers try to cut back on or eliminate both high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners from their diets, Coke and Pepsi are testing these green cans to appeal to people who aren’t terrified of sugar, but who are looking to cut back a little. Stevia is considered a “natural” plant-based sweetener, but does have a bitter aftertaste that some people don’t care for.

Here are the new bottles, courtesy of the trade publication Beverage Digest:

ICYMI: Pepsi adding new packages for Pepsi True mid-cal sugar/stevia cola: 10-oz cans & 12-oz glass bottles. Image: http://ift.tt/1uZYf8P

— Beverage-Digest (@BeverageDigest) January 26, 2015

PepsiCo Expands Distribution of Stevia-Sweetened Cola [Wall Street Journal]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist