Dr Pepper ties with Pepsi for the No. 2 soda behind Coke

Oct 17, 2024

In the battle between Coke and Pepsi, Dr Pepper is coming out on top — or at least second.

For decades Dr Pepper has trailed Coca-Cola and Pepsi in the soda war, but now the peppery beverage has tied with Pepsi for the country’s No. 2 carbonated soft drink spot, according to sales-volume data from Beverage Digest shared with The Wall Street Journal.

The OG versions of Dr Pepper and Pepsi are now level with each other though the overall Pepsi brand — which includes Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar — remains the No. 2 soda trademark in the country.

This comes as consumers increasingly switch from regular Pepsi to no-calorie versions.

Coke still reigns supreme with more than twice the volume of archrival Pepsi, per WSJ.

Keurig Dr Pepper’s success with Dr Pepper comes from its marketing pushes, unusual flavors like strawberries and cream and ubiquity in soda fountains — it’s included in both Pepsi and Coke ones.

Plus, the beverage has gained attention in viral social media videos, like TikToks of people making a Dirty Dr Pepper.

Landing in the No. 2 spot with Pepsi — which has held the ranking since at least 1985 — is a boon for Dr Pepper, considering Coke and Pepsi dominate the $97 billion US soda industry, the WSJ said.

PepsiCo, which also has food in its portfolio, took in $18.3 billion in revenue in the 12 weeks ended March 23.

Coca-Cola’s revenue through the end of March was $11.3 billion. KDP’s net sales for Q1 were $3.47 billion.

“Our focus has been on growing our Pepsi Zero Sugar, which aligns with our business strategy. That’s where the growth is in the category,” a source from PepsiCo told The Post.