The maker of Pepsi and Mountain Dew hopes a new brand of "craft" sodas will help alleviate sluggish sales of its flagship products.
PepsiCo announced Friday that it will begin selling its Stubborn brand of sodas at major retailers nationwide beginning this week.
The soft drink giant launched the brand as a fountain soda in select food service locations in 2015. It will be sold in 12-ounce glass bottles in five flavors: Agave Vanilla Cream Soda, Black Cherry with Tarragon, Classic Root Beer, Lemon Berry Acai and Orange Hibiscus.
The company said that each bottle will contain between 90 and 100 calories and be sweetened with cane sugar and Stevia. The soda does not contain high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.
PepsiCo executives are focused on products that can be marketed as "craft" or "premium" as consumers increasingly turn to foods that are considered healthier -- a trend that's hit sugary drinks particularly hard.
"We gave it that name because we don't compromise on our ingredients, flavors or the way the product is experienced," Megan Gagnon, the brand's marketing director, said in a statement.
The company also announced a marketing campaign in partnership with Skybound Entertainment and "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman.
