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Pepsi has reportedly lost its grasp as America's No. 2 soda for the first time in decades.
Dr. Pepper, which has slowly been gaining market share for years, surpassed Pepsi as the second-highest selling soda brand nationwide in 2023, CNN reports, citing market share data from Beverage Digest, a trade publication. Both Dr. Pepper and Pepsi accounted for 8.3% of the market, however, Dr. Pepper was reported to be technically ahead.
Coca-Cola's signature soda remains the No. 1 brand in U.S. by a comfortable margin, accounting for 19.2% of the market, while the company's other brands Sprite (8.1%) and Diet Coke (7.8%) rounded out the top five.
“Dr Pepper has been gaining, [Pepsi] has been declining, and they’re meeting in the middle,” said Duane Stanford, editor of Beverage Digest, during a recent interview with CNN.
Dr. Pepper, which was founded in 1885 before both Coca-Cola and Pepsi, has seen a spike in popularity during the past few years. The soda, which claims to blend 23 flavors, went from being a regional favorite to marketing itself nationwide in the 1970s and has continued to see growth while recently experimenting with new flavors, including Strawberries & Cream, which Timothy Cofer, the CEO of its parent company Keurig Dr. Pepper, referred to as "a standout success."