Actor and producer Ben Stiller is joining the likes of beverage heavyweights Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in the modern soda stakes, launching his new low-sugar, better-for-you CSD line today in his hometown of New York City.
The aptly-named Stiller’s Soda brand features three nostalgic Americana flavors: Root Beer, Lemon Lime and Shirley Temple. Each 12 oz. can contains 30 calories, 7 grams of sugar (cane sugar, stevia and monk fruit) and added Vitamins D, B12 and C. Stiller’s Soda is currently available at retailers across New York City and nationwide via Amazon.
The brand is slated to expand its footprint with Walmart.com in the coming months, followed by a national retail rollout in 2026. Its distribution partners include Rainforest and Goldcoast, according to a LinkedIn post by Alexander Doman, co-founder and president of global soda affairs at Stiller’s.
While many major modern soda brands tout health benefits, consumers are typically drawn to these beverages less for their purported bonuses and more for their flavor or lower sugar content. That is one of the reasons Stiller’s decided to forego the inclusion of prebiotics or other functional ingredients, a move that also avoids direct competition with gut health-focused brands like Olipop and Poppi.
While those brands have captured the lion’s share of the emerging category, they’ve inspired a wave of new competitors, including Suja (Slice), Sparkling Ice (Popwell), Health-Ade (SunSip), BetterBooch (LIVE Soda) and Langer’s Cola, nostalgia has helped drive the trend, particularly at food service, where soda-centric concepts like Swig and Cool Sips are thriving.
“The idea behind Stiller’s was simple: bring back [a] sense of nostalgia but make it work for today. We wanted to reimagine the classic experience in a way that’s cleaner and lighter, without losing what makes it so special,” said Stiller in a statement. “At its core, the brand holds onto what makes soda fun while giving people something they can feel good about drinking.”
The launch includes a humorous campaign starring Stiller alongside fellow actor and creative partner Justin Theroux. The campaign, narrated by Theroux, parodies the over-the-top ads of the ‘80s.
“It was an easy yes when he approached me with this idea. Stiller is on a mission to bring soda back to its roots while modernizing it for everyone – soda novices included,” said Theroux in a press release. “And true to who he is, the campaign is no exception, poking fun at himself and the larger celebrity brand landscape to get the message across that Stiller’s is offering good, classic sodas to the people.”
The mainstreaming of the clean soda set comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) works to restrict traditional CSDs and candy from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).Last month, six more states agreed to ban the purchase of soda and other sugary products with government waivers, including West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. They join Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho and Utah in officially moving to change the criteria for SNAP sales amid rising pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.