Mountain Dew Rolls Out Craft Soda

DEWshine capitalizes on craft soda craze.

March 16, 2015

MCLEAN, VA – PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew brand is getting into the craft soda craze with Mtn Dew DEWShine.

Hitting store shelves March 23, Mtn Dew DEWShine is a clear citrus-flavored soda made with real sugar, “inspired by the brand's roots in the backwoods of Tennessee,” Jennifer Ryan, a Mountain Dew spokeswoman, told USA Today.

DEWshine is PepsiCo’s second craft soda offering; the company launched Caleb's Kola in late 2014.

In the current issue of NACS Magazine, the article “Generating Some Fizz” highlights the growing popularity of craft sodas, largely because many of the products are made with natural ingredients. However, the definition of craft sodas is still in flux. 

“Craft soda is loosely defined. Lots of folks calling themselves craft have artificial flavors. They’re calling themselves craft [just] because they’re in a glass bottle,” Neal Cohane, senior vice president of sales for Reed’s Inc., maker of Virgil’s Root Beer, Original Ginger Brew and China Cola, told NACS Magazine. “We brew from fresh raw ingredients. You won’t find preservatives in our sodas. There are no artificial dyes. We small batch brew our sodas.”

Seattle-based Jones Soda deliberately bills itself as “a retro soda,” CEO Jennifer Cue told NACS Magazine. “Some kids grew up on our sodas” and are now seeking them out as adults. “The Moxies of the world are still available but a lot of people don’t realize they are still being produced,” she said.

Whether produced by PepsiCo or small-batch regional producers, as the craze grows, expect to see even more craft soda producers bottling healthier soft drink options, giving consumers plenty of carbonated varieties to choose from.

Read the entire article in the current issue of NACS Magazine.

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