As PepsiCo enters a new era under the leadership of CEO Ramon Laguarta, the soda giant is evolving. Over the past year, the company has acquired nutrition focused brands Cytosport (makers of Muscle Milk) and Health Warrior, as well as announcing a new incubator program called “The Hive.” At the same time, Pepsi has announced various cost cutting measures and internal staffing changes as part of a long-term goal of generating at least $1 billion in productivity savings annually through 2023. Against this backdrop of change, the company unveiled several new innovations for two of its key natural channel brands — Naked Juice and KeVita — at Natural Products Expo West 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. earlier this month.
In this interview recorded at the show, BevNET managing editor Martin Caballero spoke with Enrique Cortinas, senior marketing director for PepsiCo North America, about new products from Naked and KeVita. He also discussed how PepsiCo is supporting the brands through internal reorganization and a new TV advertising campaign.