PURCHASE, N.Y. – PepsiCo rolled out its Stubborn soda line throughout the United States in a bid to refresh sagging soft drink sales, Fortune reports. PepsiCo views the craft soda industry as an emerging trend that has staying power. Consumers often view craft soda as being tastier and healthier than traditional soft drinks.

This week, major retailers started carrying Stubborn sodas, which come in flavors like root beer and vanilla cream and are made with fair trade-certified cane sugar and have fewer calories than Pepsi. “Consumers are changing,” said Scott Finlow, vice president of innovation and insights for global foodservice at PepsiCo. “They want quality products with different, more natural ingredients.”

The craft soda movement comes along on the coattails of the craft beer explosion. For now, craft sodas only capture a small piece of the carbonated soft drink category sales. “Craft is not a fad. It is here to stay,” Finlow said. “We think craft is a critical growth space and we hope this is something we will be talking about for years to come.”

PepsiCo has said that it would be diversifying into more premium food and drink, which includes Stubborn and its 1893 soda lines. As for Stubborn, PepsiCo is hoping consumers will enjoy the taste for fewer calories. “This brand is developed at a calorie level that creates more choices for our consumers,” he said. “That’s part of our commitment to deliver calorie reduction across the portfolio.”

For more on craft soda, read “Generating Some Fizz” from NACS Magazine.