It’s official: Pepsi Blue is making a comeback!
PepsiCo announced on Thursday that the bright blue soda is returning to store shelves after a hiatus of almost 20 years. The berry-flavored cola will be available for purchase across the U.S., anywhere and everywhere Pepsi products are sold starting May 3rd.
Pepsi Blue comes back with a new bottle and packaging design, and will be available in 20oz bottles, 16.9oz/16oz 6 packs PET 6pk, and 16.9oz 8 packs while supplies last.
Pepsi Blue launched in Canada in 2002 and in the U.S. in 2004. The uniquely colored drink, however, was discontinued in the same year it became available for the first time in both countries.
Though PepsiCo only described Pepsi Blue’s flavor only as “berry,” a lot of consumers said the soft drink tastes like blueberries or raspberries. Others, meanwhile, likened its flavor to cotton candy with a berry-like after taste. Drinkers also found Pepsi Blue more sugary and syrupy than Pepsi’s regular cola.
Pepsi Blue was tinted using Blue 1, a highly controversial coloring agent banned in numerous countries at the time of its initial release. The idea to create a brightly colored version of the Pepsi cola came from the successful 2001 launch of Mountain Dew Code Red, which had bumped PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew division sales up 6%.
Pepsi Blue was one of more than 100 concepts PepsiCo had tested prior to the beverage’s 2002 launch. The majority of teenagers polled by the company at the time said they would like to see a berry-flavored cola with a blue color.
The announcement of Pepsi Blue’s return comes a month after PepsiCo added Pepsi Mango and Pepsi Mango Zero Sugar to its permanent lineup. Ahead of Easter, PepsiCo also gave away limited-edition Peeps-flavored Pepsi via sweepstakes.