Months after acquiring leading prebiotic soda purveyor
Poppi, PepsiCo is launching a prebiotic cola under its flagship brand.
The new offering features less sugar and fewer calories than Pepsi’s mainline cola -- just five grams of sugar and
30 calories -- and also contains three grams of prebiotic fiber per can. That’s in line with Poppi’s own cola offering, but this is a way to introduce a prebiotic cola to soda drinkers
less likely to stray from traditional brands.
Pepsi Prebiotic Cola will launch in both traditional cola and cherry vanilla varieties, available online this fall in single 12-ounce cans and
eight-packs, before rolling out in retail in early 2026. The product will be located in the traditional soft drink aisle alongside the rest of Pepsi’s brand portfolio. The brand created an online video to announce the launch, which it posted to its YouTube page.
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PepsiCo has been focusing heavily on its flagship cola brand, with recent
marketing efforts including a summer “Share a
Pepsi” campaign and a revival of “The Pepsi Challenge”
taking direct aim at rival Coca-Cola.
In an earnings call with investors last week discussing the company’s Q2 earnings report, PepsiCo CEO Ramon LaGuarta said the focus for the beverage
portion of PepsiCo’s portfolio has been on “improving colas,” which he called a “success for us.” He added, “We’ve been focusing on [Pepsi Zero Sugar] and
Pepsi, and we've been focusing on the taste challenge. And those three elements have positive share performance for Pepsi… not only in the U.S. but globally.”
Pepsi announced its
acquisition of Poppi for nearly $2 billion back in March, and closed on the
deal in May. The prebiotic soda brand has built up its profile in recent years, with big-budget marketing campaigns, advertising in its second consecutive Super Bowl in 2025.
Pepsi Prebiotic Cola may not be the only big
launch for Pepsi in the coming months. During the earnings call, LaGuarta hinted at Pepsi entering the liquid protein space with a new launch in Q 4 or Q1 of 2026.