Suja Life has announced its acquisition of soda brand Slice, representing the company’s second acquisition since its purchase of Vive Organic in 2022. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We believe that choosing a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t mean giving up on flavor or enjoyment,” said Maria Stipp, CEO of Suja Life, in a press release. “With the acquisition of Slice, we are making it easier for consumers to choose a better-for-you beverage. We all want to feel good about what we drink while still enjoying great taste, and Slice does that while providing functional benefits and low sugar.”
Slice’s new parent company promised to bring “improved ingredients” to create “a new healthy soda option to Suja Life’s portfolio,” while “the flavors and taste profile will resemble the classic, nostalgic sodas people know and love.”
“The relaunch of Slice will not just be an all-natural, low-calorie soda, but one that delivers advantages for gut health with superior nutrition, function and taste,” read the release, suggesting that the revamped product may tap into current interest around prebiotic and probiotic soft drinks.
That may sound familiar: as reported in BevNET in 2021, the Slice trademark, originally created by PepsiCo in 1984, was acquired by Chicago-based VC group Spiral Sun Ventures in 2018 and reintroduced as a zero-calorie sparkling water flavored with organic juice. A newly formed parent company, New Slice Ventures, with a new CEO eventually followed, but the reformulated soda never hit the market.
The announcement marks another chapter in what’s been a busy year for the California-based beverage brand thus far. Suja announced Stipp as its new CEO in February, about a month after launching a three-SKU line of Organic Protein Shakes in 16 oz PET bottles at Target locations nationwide for $4.99.
This is a developing story.