Pepsi Is About to Launch This New Alcoholic Drink
Hard seltzers and other canned alcoholic beverages are the "it" drink of summer, with what seems like an endless array of new products hitting grocery store shelves every week from beloved brands like Costco's Kirkland Signature and Michelob Ultra, plus celebs such as country singer Blake Shelton. Now, another heavy hitter in the beverage industry appears to be trying to crack into the growing category.
Some of the most iconic drink brands on the planet are owned by PepsiCo, but alcoholic beverages like beer, liquor, and wine aren't currently a part of that vast portfolio. However, the world's #4 beverage company seems to be on the cusp of wading into uncharted waters by launching a line of alcoholic drinks under the "Rockstar" name, which is known for its energy drinks.
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A trademark application filed earlier this month by Pepsi is "seeking to register the name for beer, alcoholic fruit cocktail drinks, alcoholic malt beverages, and hard seltzer," according to Bloomberg. Josh Gerben, an intellectual property attorney, also posted about the trademark on Twitter.
Pepsico has filed a new trademark application for its ROCKSTAR brand (the energy drink).
In the USPTO filing (made on June 14th) Pepsico says it now plans to sell ROCKSTAR-branded beer and hard seltzer.
Coming to stores near you soon…#Pepsi pic.twitter.com/CAqcdHthM0
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) June 18, 2021
"The fact that PepsiCo made this filing signals they are very much considering a product launch around beer and hard seltzer," Gerben told Bloomberg in a message.
Pepsi recently launched a brand of nonalcoholic cocktail mixers called Neon Zebra after its CEO said last fall that the company would soon make a decision about whether or not to move into the alcoholic space. Rival Coca-Cola inked a deal last year with Molson Coors to sell a hard seltzer version of the sparkling water brand Topo Chico, according to Food Dive.
Dipping into the hard seltzer market is likely a good move by Pepsi, since more than half of American's have at least one of these beverages a week.
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