What does it take to build a business empire? PepsiCo started with a single beverage—Pepsi—but through smart acquisitions and strategic growth, it has expanded into a multi-billion-dollar company owning dozens of household brands across the food and beverage industry.
As an entrepreneur or small business owner, understanding how big companies like PepsiCo diversify and scale their product lines can provide valuable insights. Whether you're thinking about launching a second product, acquiring another business, or just building a brand with long-term potential, there are lessons to learn from PepsiCo’s journey.
Our team at LLCAttorney.com put together a visual breakdown of everything PepsiCo owns today—from soda and sports drinks to chips and snacks. Take a look and see how this global powerhouse turned one product into an empire.
Click below to explore the infographic and discover just how many brands PepsiCo owns!
A List of PepsiCo Brands
You may know about the classic Pepsi products, but do you know who owns Gatorade? In addition to the classic Pepsi brands, the company also owns the following beverages:
- Gatorade
- Aquafina
- Mountain Dew
- Lipton
- Ocean Spray
- Mug Root Beer
- Soda Stream
- Tazo
PepsiCo is known for their beverages, but did you know they also own a wide variety of food brands as well? In 1965, the Pepsi-Cola Company merged with snack giant Frito-Lay to create a diverse portfolio of food and beverage brands. The following are just a small number of PepsiCo brands in the food sector:
- Doritos
- Fritos
- Lay's
- Tostitos
- Sun Chips
- Ruffles
- Rice-A-Roni
The History of PepsiCo
Pepsi-Cola was created by pharmacist Caleb Bradham, and was officially named as such in marketing in 1898. The company was very successful up until World War I, when sugar rationing lead to Bradham declaring bankruptcy in 1923. The company's recipe was then purchased by Craven Holding Corporation and later in 1931 by Wall Street broker Roy Megargel and Charles Guth.
In the 1960s, Pepsi-Cola expanded its range of beverages to include Diet Pepsi and Mountain Dew. After the merger with Frito-Lay, Inc. in 1965, the company officially became PepsiCo. The company moved its headquarters to Purchase, New York in 1970, where the company is still located today.
PepsiCo continued to diversify their business by acquiring brands outside their snack and beverage lines including Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and California Pizza Kitchen. This line was eventually sold off or spun off to create Yum! Brands and the companies are no longer owned by PepsiCo.
After these divestments in 1997, PepsiCo acquired a number of brands that are household names. Some of the most notable brands:
- Tropicana Products in 1998
- Quaker Oats Company in 2001
- SodaStream in 2018
- Rockstar Energy in 2020
Cola Wars and Pepsi Marketing Tactics
Pepsi has long been involved in what has been dubbed as a “cola war” with its competitor, Coca-Cola. The war began in the 1970s when both brands started their marketing campaigns to become the top cola brand. In 1975, Pepsi started a campaign that they dubbed the “Pepsi challenge” in which people would be asked to do a blind taste test of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Pepsi hoped that these taste tests would prove that Pepsi was favored by the public over Coca-Cola, but there was no conclusive determination.
In the 1990s, Pepsi launched another marketing campaign called Pepsi Stuff. Consumers were able to collect points from Pepsi products that could be redeemed for Pepsi merchandise like T-shirts, hats, jackets, and bags.
The cola war came to a head during Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, GA, where Coca-Cola is headquartered. Pepsi was one of the main sponsors for the Super Bowl that year and launched a series of ad campaigns with slogans like “Hey Atlanta, Thanks For Hosting. We'll Bring The Drinks.” Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi ran ads during this Super Bowl.
Both companies also have equivalent alternatives to many of their products. In terms of citrus-flavored beverages, PepsiCo manufactures Mountain Dew while Coca-Cola makes Surge. Both companies also have root beer beverages – Mug for PepsiCo and Barq's for Coca-Cola. Gatorade is PepsiCo's sports drink while Powerade is Coca-Cola's. Both companies also own multiple brands of bottled water.
Pepsi has also had a number of iconic commercials starring celebrities like Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Ray Charles, Cindy Crawford, Britney Spears, and the Spice Girls.
While the cola wars of the past are not as competitive as they have been, both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola continue to create and acquire new products to give the other company competition.
Brands Owned by PepsiCo
Beverages
- Amp Energy
- Aquafina
- Brisk
- Bundaberg
- Citrus Springs
- Crush
- Dr Pepper
- Driftwell
- Evolve
- Fruit Shoot
- Gatorade
- Kevita
- Lifewtr
- Lipton
- Manzanita Sol
- Mirinda
- Mountain Dew Energy
- Mountain Dew
- Mug Root Beer
- Muscle Milk
- Naked Juice
- Ocean Spray
- Pepsi
- Propel
- Pure Leaf
- Rockstar
- Schweppes
- SoBe
- SodaStream
- Soulboost
- Starbucks
- Starry
- Stubborn Soda
- Tazo
- Tropicana
- Yachak
Food
- Baken-Ets
- Bare
- Cap’n Crunch
- Cheetos
- Chester’s
- Cracker Jack
- Doritos
- Fritos
- Funyuns
- Health Warrior
- Hilo Life
- Jack Link’s
- Lay’s
- Maui Style
- Miss Vickie’s
- Munchies
- Munchos
- NatuChips
- Near East
- Nut Harvest
- Off The Eaten Path
- Pasta Roni
- Pearl Milling Company
- PopCorners
- Quaker
- Red Rock Deli
- Rice-A-Roni
- Rold Gold
- Ruffles
- Santitas
- Simply
- Smartfood
- Spitz
- Stacy’s
- SunChips
- Tostitos
International Brands
- 7UP
- Agousha
- Alvalle
- Baconzitos
- Chipsy
- Chudo
- Domik v Derevne
- Duyvis
- Elma Chips
- Emperador
- Evervess
- Fandangos
- Fruktoviy Sad
- Frustyle
- Hickory Sticks
- Imunele
- Ivi
- Izze
- Kas
- KhrusTeam
- Kurkure
- Looza
- Marbo
- Marias Gamesa
- Matutano
- Paso de los Toros
- Pioneer Foods
- Rosquinhas Mabel
- Russkiy Dar
- Sabritas
- Sabritones
- Sandora
- Sierra Mist
- Simba
- Smith's
- Snack a Jacks
- Sonric’s
- Stiksy
- Tasali Snack Foods
- Tonus
- Twisties
- Walkers
- Ya
- Yedigün
Note:
Some brands listed here are partially owned by PepsiCo, have specific products licensed and distributed by PepsiCo, or are licensed and distributed by PepsiCo in certain markets.
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