Prebiotic sodas like Poppi and Olipop are all the rage for the health-conscious crowd. Even giant brands like Barbie are partnering with prebiotic sodas for limited-edition branded flavor releases. That said, to date, they’ve been produced exclusively by independent brands rather than The Big Two. I’m of course referring to the eternal rivals: Coca-Cola and Pepsi. (Though, if we’re being technical, the new Big Two are Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper ever since the latter overtook Pepsi in terms of sales.)
Now that the gut-health soda field is well established by plucky upstarts, there’s some new competition coming this year. Both Coke and Pepsi have revealed plans to get into the prebiotic soda space—and they’ll be releasing them under some interesting previously-established names.
Coca-Cola is making prebiotic soda?
Yes, Coca-Cola is selling probiotic sodas under their Simply brand! Simply Pop is the newest line of beverages in a long string of other Simply-branded releases, including malt beverages and a new subline of fruit juice-sweetened Gold Peak teas. (To my knowledge, every single Simply-branded drink is loudly and proudly made with real fruit juice. Props to Coke for establishing that as a trait for the brand.)
So far, five Simply Pop prebiotic soda flavors have made their way online: Strawberry, Fruit Punch, Pineapple Mango, Lime, and Citrus Punch. Here’s hoping Simply Pop can stick the landing.
Is Pepsi making prebiotic soda, too?
Yes, but in a much stranger way. While Coca-Cola is throwing the weight of their established Simply brand behind their prebiotic sodas, Pepsi is reusing the name of a failed sparkling water brand they attempted to launch back in 2021. Do we have any Soulboost fans in the house? I didn’t think so! Soulboost was a “functional” sparkling water line made with real fruit juice and brain-stimulating properties. I’ve been in the beverage news game since 2021 and I’ve never heard of this stuff. I’ve yet to hear the flavors planned for the revamped prebiotic version of Soulboost; when I know, you’ll know.
What does this mean for Poppi, Olipop, and the other established prebiotic soda brands?
They’re gonna be fine. Even with their established footprints and giant marketing budgets, I don’t expect Coca-Cola’s Simply Pop or Pepsi’s Soulboost to make a huge splash compared to these beloved brands that have been around for years. It’s interesting that Coke and Pepsi, with their morally-indefensible mountains of cash, don’t just buy one of these independent brands. Both companies have a history of buying their way into a previously-unexplored field. Is it possible all the independent brands we’ve heard of quietly said no to a new corporate overlord? All hail the resistance.
