Pepsi joins energy drink cast

MANILA, Philippines - Listed beverage maker Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. is joining the fray in the energy drinks category, further strengthening its non-carbonated business.

In a statement, Pepsi-Cola said it launched Mirinda Powder Fun Mix, marking its entry into the powdered juice drinks category.

“We are excited at the opportunity to provide variety to our consumers,” said Pepsi-Cola president Partho Chakrabarti, adding the powdered juice segment enjoys a healthy single-digit growth annually with only a few major players.

“Though this is our first foray into the powdered juice drinks category, we are confident that Mirinda Powder Fun Mix will be well-received, similar to our product innovations in the past,” Chakrabarti said.

The new product is an orange-flavored juice powder that comes in 35-gram sachets and 280-gram pouches.

Mirinda Powder Fun Mix will be available initially in all major supermarkets, groceries, convenience stores nationwide and in select sari-sari stores at P10 per pack.

The introduction of Mirinda Powder Fun Mix in the local market further beefs up the non-carbonated drinks portfolio of Pepsi-Cola.

In September, it launched Tropicana Coco Quench, which is 100-percent made from real coconut water. It will be available initially in the Philippines and the rest of Asia as the company seeks to expand its non-carbonated beverage segment.

Pepsi-Cola is the exclusive bottler of PepsiCo beverages in the Philippines which include Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Seven Up, Mirinda, Gatorade and Tropicana, Mug, Tropicana, Lipton, Sting and Premier.

In the nine months to September last year, Pepsi-Cola more than tripled its earnings to P696.83 million from P225.83 million a year ago as gross sales rose 13 percent to P16.56 billion.

Pepsi-Cola is partly owned by Lotte Chilsung, one of the biggest beverage companies in South Korea. The listed company has established manufacturing facilities across the country, serving at least 440,000 outlets and providing employment through its extensive distribution network.