The American food and beverages company PepsiCo Inc, has launched energy drink Sting, one of its global brands, across organized retail outlets in India. This is the second attempt by PepsiCo to crack the energy drink market in India. It had launched SoBe in 2008, which was withdrawn from the market soon after.
In India, Sting is available in 250ml cans and will have less than 100 calories. At Rs50, Sting is priced much lower than the most-selling energy drink Red Bull, which is priced at Rs110 for a 250ml can.
The decision made by PepsiCo to re-enter the energy drinks market in India comes 10 months after the country’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), set limits for caffeine content in energy drinks at a maximum of 300mg per litre.
India’s energy drinks market is still small. According to market research firm Euromonitor International, 45.2 million litres of energy and sports beverages were sold at retail counters in 2016. The volume is projected to grow to 74.4 million litres by 2020.
In addition to this development, PepsiCo has also launched Aquafina Vitamin Splash, which is fortified with Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Zinc, and Selenium nutrients, as an extension of its water brand Aquafina to boost its presence in the hydration category.