Kraft Heinz just unveiled Capri Sun Hydrate, a new version of the brand’s iconic juice pouches the kids know, but with electrolytes and Vitamin E.
The new line contains half the sugar of the category’s top sports drink, with no dyes, fake flavors, or anything synthetic in the ingredient list. Fruit Punch and Tropical Punch carry over from the original, while Lemon Lime is new.
A second shot at the sidelines
Kraft Heinz runs the licensing for the brand in the U.S. and Canada and is billing Hydrate as one of the first electrolyte drinks aimed squarely at kids. There’s history here: Capri Sun Sport showed up in 2017, but nobody remembers it because the functional beverage aisle back then wasn’t what it is now: a crowded space where parents meticulously go through labels, scrutinize sugar counts, and brands are racing to reformulate.
Roughly 94% of homes buying Capri Sun are also buying sports drinks, per the company. So the shelf logic more or less writes itself.
“With Capri Sun Hydrate, we saw an opportunity to bring something brand new to the kids beverage aisle – a beverage made specifically for kids that delivers the fun and flavor kids love with the functional benefits parents are looking for,” said director of ready-to-drink marketing Kristina Hannant, in a statement.
Hydrate lines up with a wider Kraft Heinz playbook where nutrition, convenience, and new moments to drink something all come together. Last year’s single-serve Capri Sun bottles landed the brand in convenience stores and, somewhat unexpectedly, pulled teenagers back toward the pouch’s bigger sibling.
Gatorade made its own move in the same direction about a week ago, with artificial colors on the way out (from key flavors) and a new, longer-lasting hydration drink with its highest electrolyte offering yet. It’s yet another company that built itself on the sidelines but is now trying to find relevance in kitchens and gym bags.
Shoppers want more from what’s in the fridge, sure. Mood. Recovery. Energy. In its research on what consumers are seeking in everyday drinks, Innova Market Insights found that Hydration still beats all of that.
Sources: Kraft Heinz, Food Dive, PepsiCo, Innova Market Insights