Beer Marketer's Insights - Another Pepsi Trademark Crossing Over to Alc Bevs: FIFCO USA Launching Bubly Sparkling Rosé Refreshers; Lipton Hard Zero Sugar

PepsiCo's alc bev endeavors have been fairly quiet in the US since folding its Blue Cloud Distribution biz. But it's taking another trademark into the alc bev space thru FIFCO USA and expanding upon its Lipton Hard franchise in 2026. Meet Bubly wine refreshers, a "premium dry ros&eacute; wine sparkling water," clocking in at just 4.5% ABV and 100 calories per 12oz slim can, brand director Lisa Texido shared during FIFCO USA distrib mtg today. Pulling from PepsiCo's Bubly sparkling water brand launched in 2018, Bubly wine refreshers will launch in two flavors, strawberry peach and blackberry lemon, available in individual 4pks and variety 8pks for starters. Co's starting with FIFCO USA's 12 priority mkts, NY, PA, NJ, in the northeast, OH, MI, IL, WI in Midwest, VA, SC, GA, and FL in the southeast, and TX. But Bubly wine refreshers will be available in many other states where it gets chain authorizations too. This was created with "real intention," directly targeting millennial moms who wanna "drink better" and love to drink wine, but "higher calories and ABV" give this consumer-base pause and full bottles are often "too much," Lisa explained. They have been "defaulting to vodka RTDs," but "more recently" began to "leave this category" while the flavored wine RTD category is "booming." So FIFCO USA's "walking right into it," she said. And Bubly non-alc sparkling water already over-indexes with millennial women. It's "lightly flavored, not overly sweet" with "moderate alcohol content" and "premium ingredients." This is "not about big occasions," but for millennial moms in a relaxed state. Product aims to be placed on shelves with RTDs first and FMBs second, looking to drive displays right away and build awareness on social and thru sampling. FIFCO USA's even looking to create a new occasion, leaning into "Mother's Day Eve" for a "mom-coded night of the year," followed by a full slate of mktg platforms and slogan "You're Pourfect."Lipton Hard Iced Tea Adding Zero Sugar Line, Slim Cans Across the Board Next Yr FIFCO USA's other crossover bev with PepsiCo, Lipton Hard Iced Tea, is still growing nearly 18% YTD as co pushed availability to 8 new states, bringing total to 47. It's a top-3 fastest growing malt-based hard tea this yr and "has momentum," said Lisa. "We will need more time" to reach Lisa's ambitious target to become the #2 hard tea in the country behind only Twisted Tea, she acknowledged. But "it can and should be the number two," and it already is #2 in Walmart, she showcased. It's been #2 in Walmart for 6 consecutive mos and sales are up 71%. But sales are slowing in recent periods in natl scans. There's still "a lot of work to do," Lisa acknowledged.So next yr Lipton Hard Iced Tea will bring an all-new zero sugar lineup of Lipton Hard Iced Tea to the fold and shift the full portfolio into 12oz slim cans, shared brand manager Adam Fries. Lipton Hard Iced Tea Zero Sugar comes in 4 flavors, half & half, lemon, peach and raspberry, clocking in at 95 calories and 5% ABV. The raspberry flavor is newest to the mix and will have its own 24oz single-serve can too. This makes Lipton the only major hard tea brand offering zero sugar, Adam noted. This will get a full yr of support thru thematic programs and sampling, expecting this to be an incremental lift to the Lipton Hard franchise. Tho original Lipton Hard Iced Tea variety pk remains the #1 priority SKU from a natl standpoint, cso Cedric Smith assured separately.Heineken/FIFCO Deal "Doesn't Have Any Implications" on FIFCO USA, Sez Ceo Gustavo Addressing "the elephant in the room" during Q&A with leadership team, FIFCO USA ceo Gustavo Cornejo commented that the Heineken deal with FIFCO in Costa Rica and Central America "doesn't have any implications" on FIFCO USA's biz. It's "business as usual" in the US, FIFCO remains "the parent company" of FIFCO USA and is still "backing this business." (Recall, Heineken's pending deal is for FIFCO's remaining beer/bev/food biz in Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico, but FIFCO has separate hospitality and "capitals" businesses.) So FIFCO's still supporting FIFCO USA on innovation and brand plans thru "marketing dollars" and "putting the resources behind the brewery," he emphasized.FIFCO USA is in the midst of a challenging 2025, he acknowledged, against the backdrop of "one of the most difficult moments our industry has faced" and "the biggest decline since prohibition" with "economic and cultural headwinds," he noted at the start of the meeting. So FIFCO USA is approaching 2026 with a "pragmatic" mindset, with "focus on what's within our control," by "protecting" core brands and making "fewer, bigger, bolder innovations," that "answer real consumer demand." Co's "shaping and renewing our culture" by entering into 2026 with "realistic" targets and "clear priorities," he and Cedric added. More on the rest of FIFCO USA's virtual distrib meeting highlights in next issue of INSIGHTS Express.

Another Pepsi Trademark Crossing Over to Alc Bevs: FIFCO USA Launching Bubly Sparkling Ros&eacute; Refreshers; Lipton Hard Zero Sugar

Publishing Info

Another Pepsi Trademark Crossing Over to Alc Bevs: FIFCO USA Launching Bubly Sparkling Rosé Refreshers; Lipton Hard Zero Sugar