PURCHASE, N.Y. -- PepsiCo Inc. plans to test a new malt-flavored version of its Mountain Dew soda this summer in select U.S. cities as it aims to stand out in a competitive soft-drink market.
Starting in late August, PepsiCo will sell "Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold" at Kroger Co and 7-Eleven stores in some cities in the Midwest as well as in Denver and Charlotte, N.C., PepsiCo spokesperson Andrea Foote told Reuters.
She said the nonalcoholic drink will have a malt flavor with a kick of lemon-lime. It is named for Johnson City, Tenn., the birthplace of the original Mountain Dew citrus-flavored soda.
The planned test was first reported by industry newsletter Beverage Digest, whose editor, John Sicher, said the product could be successful since Mountain Dew is already a powerful brand.
"In the declining soft drink business, a new product with a real point of difference might have potential for growth," Sicher told the news agency. "Only time will tell."
PepsiCo's Foote said the new product was more about giving loyal Mountain Dew drinkers something unique rather than any large, corporate move into "craft sodas."
Mountain Dew Johnson City Gold should sell for about $1.49 for a 16-ounce can, Foote said, whereas regular sodas sell for about 99 cents for the same sized package.
Malt-flavored drinks are popular in parts of Latin America and the Middle East, Foote said, but are still relatively small in the United States.
Purchase, N.Y.-based PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Its main businesses--Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola--make hundreds of foods and beverages.
The company's billion-dollar brand portfolio includes Aquafina, Brisk, Cheetos, Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Doritos, Fritos, Gatorade, Lay's, Lipton, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Ruffles, Quaker, 7UP (outside the United States), Sierra Mist, Starbucks RTD beverages, Tostitos, Tropicana and Walkers.
Diet Mountain Dew offers consumers the citrus taste of Mountain Dew without the calories. In addition to original Mountain Dew and Diet Mountain Dew, the permanent DEW product line includes Mountain Dew Baja Blast, Mountain Dew Code Red, Mountain Dew Livewire, Mountain Dew Throwback, Mountain Dew Voltage and Mountain Dew White Out.
The Brisk lineup of iced teas and juice drinks includes Lemon Iced Tea, No-Cal Lemon Iced Tea, Tea-Lemonade, Raspberry Iced Tea, Peach Iced Green Tea, Sweet Tea, Fruit Punch, Lemonade Sugar-Free Lemonade and Strawberry Melon.
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