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Allison Ellsworth, who co-founded prebiotic soda brand Poppi before its $1.95 billion acquisition by PepsiCo, has launched a new company called Jetty. The brand offers hydration drinks and mixes aimed at general consumers rather than athletes.
Allison Ellsworth, who sold Poppi to PepsiCo for $1.95 billion, has launched a new brand called Jetty with her husband and Poppi co-founder Stephen Ellsworth. Jetty is described as an 'everyday hydration' brand selling powders and liquid beverages, and the couple is self-funding it with a $2.5 million investment.
KFC has signed a new beverage partnership with Coca-Cola that will replace PepsiCo in its U.S. restaurants starting January 2027, with full rollout expected by spring 2027. The switch ends a roughly 40-year relationship that began when PepsiCo owned KFC in 1986 and continued even after Yum Brands spun off from Pepsi in 1997. PepsiCo still retains deals covering Taco Bell and KFC's international locations, including a new 10-year Taco Bell agreement.
KFC has become the latest major brand to begin serving Coca-Cola products instead of PepsiCo beverages, joining other large chains that have made the switch. Marriott hotels and Costco food courts have also moved to Coca-Cola in recent years, continuing a shift away from Pepsi at high-profile foodservice accounts.
PepsiCo reported a 5.6% increase in net sales for the third quarter, with international markets contributing 41% of revenue so far this year. Despite growth abroad, its North American beverage division shrank, prompting the company to lower its full-year earnings outlook. CEO Ramon Laguarta is scheduled for an exclusive CNBC interview at 10 a.m. ET.
PepsiCo is recalling more than 122,000 cases of Lemon Lime and Orange Gatorade across 37 states due to undeclared food dyes in the products. The recall covers specific batches of the two flavors currently on store shelves.
A New York Times report highlights a growing trend of food and drink makers using forest-themed flavors such as pine, juniper, sage and rosemary. Examples include a Smoky Mountain Latte at Knoxville's K Brew, botanical sodas from Forest Water, a $28 Forest Old Fashioned cocktail in Manhattan, and syrup maker Torani naming Forest Pine its flavor of the year.
Tesla has begun volume production of its Semi electric truck at a new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada, with first units already delivered to customers. The Sparks, Nevada plant can eventually build 50,000 trucks a year, and Tesla named PepsiCo, US Foods, DHL and other companies among buyers. The Semi comes in Standard Range (325 miles) and Long Range (500 miles) versions, using 4680 battery cells and an 822 kWh pack.
Tesla held an event at its new Semi factory near Gigafactory Nevada, announcing that the truck is now in volume production and that first deliveries have begun this week. The company said the plant can build up to 50,000 trucks annually and listed new and existing customers including PepsiCo, US Foods, DHL, WattEV, ABF, Einride, IMC and OK Produce.
Gwynda Jones, a 30-year PepsiCo executive who survived a heart attack, stroke and a rare cancer diagnosis that doctors said would kill her within months, opened a Hotworx franchise in downtown Chicago in 2023. She funded the roughly $500,000 venture largely with retirement savings built up over 38 years, choosing the infrared-sauna fitness concept because it required a small staff and no in-house instructors.
PepsiCo is investing in precision agriculture technology, including drones and data analytics, on farms like a multigenerational operation in Alberta to improve soil health and crop yields. The company relies on roughly 45 billion potatoes annually for Lay's, Ruffles and other snack brands, making stable harvests essential to its supply chain.
PepsiCo highlighted Perry Farms, a multigenerational Alberta farm that has supplied potatoes for Lay's for over 40 years, as an example of regenerative agriculture in action. The farm uses data-driven tools and soil-health practices to strengthen resilience against climate and supply-chain pressures.