Most Popular Soft Drinks In The World: Asides the regular water which we are blessed with by nature, there are other drinks which exist all around the world, some of them are juices, and soft drinks which most people love both children and adults alike. Soft drinks are internationally and intercontinentally recognized and depending on your location, it goes by many names. Some people call it soda (Americans), or pop (English), some might even call it soda pop and in Nigeria we call them Minerals.
However, regardless of whatever name it went by, soft drinks are still a beloved choice to any people all around the world. Soft drink is anything which has the ingredients of a sweetener, a carbonated water, a natural or an artificial flavorings, and sometimes, some of them contain a reasonable amount of caffeine. These brand with caffeine is a substitute for those who would rather take a soft drink than a cup of coffee.
The world of carbonated drinks is being dominated by three major players in the world and they are, the PepsiCo, the Coca-Cola Company and the Keurig Dr. Pepper. They all have a great number of soft drink brands but none is a competition to Coca-Cola, as it reigns supreme over them in the industry. In this article, we would be discussing the most popular soft drinks in the world.
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Top 12 Most Consumed/Popular Drinks in The World
1. Coca-Cola: Ranking the first on the list is Coca-Cola as the most popular soft drink (company) in the world. The company has its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, it manufactures more than 500 soft drink brands which it distributes to every country in the world, not excluding its fruit juices, sports drinks, teas and water products.
At the beginning of this company, it was invented as a medical tonic company a syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold exclusive territories by Colonel John Pemberton, however, in 1888, there was a turning point for the company when Asa Candler took over control of the company and rebranded the company and on 1892, he Coca-Cola Company was founded. Upon taking over, Asa brought in new innovations and marketing which transformed the face of the company.
Such innovations include the Coca-Cola vending machines, fridges, wall adverts and basically anything that could possibly carry the Coca-Cola logo on it and this drastic move is what brought the company to where and what it is today. The anchor bottler of The Coca-Cola Company is located in in North America, a 16% stake in Keurig Green Mountain and a Coca-Cola Refreshments. It has a revenue of more than $37 billion.
2. Pepsi: Pepsi has had its humble beginnings, regardless of the fact that it has its humble beginnings, this company is worth more than $18.37 billion and is currently one of the largest soft drink distributors in the world. It is a multinational food and beverage corporation which has its headquarters in New York, The Company was developed and founded by Bradham Caleb in 1893 which it called it Brad’s Drink and was both made and sold in his drug store. Upon invention, the drink was meant to help with digestion, and as the business flourished, it was renamed and rebranded as Pepsi Cola (PepsiCo) and was letter shortened to Pepsi.
As an example of humble beginnings, the company suffered sever bankruptcy which in turn lead to its purchase by Coca-Cola for more than three times and eventually, they were able to save themselves and left the company. From there, the business grew, as of 2016, it had 31% of the total world distribution rate among other soft drink companies in the world.
It has 11 brands that each generates over $1 billion in annual revenue: Gatorade, Aquafina, Tropicana (juice), Quaker Oats, Doritos, Frito-Lay (snacks), Cheetos (snacks), Sierra Mist, Lipton (tea), Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew.
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3. Dr. Pepper: With its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, the Dr. Pepper Company pre-exists the Pepsi Company by 8 years, and the Coca-Cola Company by 1 year. However, over the year, it has fallen behind its other counterparts in the business with regards cola flavoured soft drinks. The company was founded in 1992 as a merger between the Dr. Pepper Company and Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (formerly known as Plano-based Royal Crown Company) and was called the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.
The company is an internationally reorganized company, however, Coca-Cola bought off its distribution right in other countries in the world. This means that if you are outside the United States, the Dr, Pepper you know is distributed not by them but Coca-Cola. The company bought off the distribution right after years of disputes and suits between the companies over naming rights and flavourings.
The company owns the very popular 7UP we know today and any others like A&W Root Beer, Mott’s apple juice, and Sunkist orange soda and also own more than 500 non-carbonated drinks in the world such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters coffee products Clamato juice drinks, TABASCO hot sauce, and many more. It has a revenue of more than $19.73 billion.
4. Red Bull: Red Bull, this drink may not rank the first position on the list but it is the number one soft drink in Europe and in European drink brands, in actual séance, it seems to be the number one outside of the United States and remains the number one energy drink sold across the globe and as a result of its popularity, it sold more than 7.5 billion cans in just 2019.
The Australian brand of this drink has moved up into sports going beyond just drinks. This move has won those two Formula 1 teams and some soccer clubs which includes New York Red Bulls, RB Leipzig. Currently, the drink in valued over $8.14 billion.
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5. Monster Energy: This drink is the only drink on the list which did not exist in the 90’s, one might even call it the youngest. Regardless of being founded in 2002, it has grown an made its way into becoming the worlds second largest energy drink with abot 35% market value.
The brand is currently worth about $4.86 billion with partners in extreme sporting events. This partnership is focused on enhancing its image and they (the partners) are motocross, skateboarding and UFC.
6. Sprite: Currently, Sprit is owned by the Coca-Cola Company but it was invented in West Germany to serve as a lemon flavoured Fanta, kind of a way to compete with Fanta.
As the market would have it, it now outsells Fanta and its similar competition 7UP (the rad it was produced to compete with in America). Currently, Sprite has rebranded and you can see sprite in many flavours such as grape, cranberry, and even orange, and it is now worth more than $4 billion.
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7. Gatorade: Gatorade was first introduced in the University of Florida in the year 1965 and was named Gators which was short for alligators. The main purpose of the drink was to rehydrate everyone after watching and playing the big sports games and since then, it has evolved.
Currently, the drink is distributed in more than 80 countries in the world and it is worth more than $4 billion. Till date, this drink is still synonymous with the American sports.
8. Mountain Dew: After the formation of Mountain Dew in 1940, it has had many alterations to its formula since. The drink is an energy drink which comes in a citrus flavor although it has also been sold in a cherry flavor and in different varieties such as Taco Bell and KFC. It is currently worth more than $2 billion.
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9. Tea: Tea is one of my all-time favourite alcoholic drinks. Boiling water is used to make tea, which is then steeped with tea leaves (or a tea bag). Tea is ready to be savoured in only a few minutes.
Tea is well-liked because it’s a cool drink that you may have either hot or cold. Tea is also incredibly adaptable because you can steep a huge variety of tea leaves, including but not limited to: White tea, black tea, green tea, ginger tea, peppermint tea, and rosella tea.
I enjoy drinking tea, especially if it has caffeine in the afternoon when I need a pick-me-up or if it doesn’t, in the evening when I want to unwind and rest. Green tea is my go-to morning beverage, while peppermint tea is my go-to evening beverage.
10. Beer: Beer has long been one of the most popular alcoholic drinks, playing a role in a variety of cultural customs. Its wonderful taste and variety contribute to its popularity.
Ales and lagers are the two most popular types of beer. Lagers are brewed at cold temperatures with bottom-fermenting yeast and then kept for weeks or months.
Breweries brew ale at warmer temperatures with top-fermenting yeast and serve it immediately.
Another interesting fact is that most world-renowned beers are vegan-friendly, as their most common ingredients contain barley and hops. Beer is the third most popular drink in the world, trailing only water and tea. I believe this is because many beers contain a lot of water and are easy to drink with a meal. My favourite beer, however, is a strong, hoppy IPA, so I try to limit how many of those I drink in one sitting!
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11. Vodka: Vodka is a transparent liquor created from the molasses of wheat, potatoes, or sugar beets. It is particularly popular in Russia and Poland, and it has become one of the world’s most popular liquors. People prefer it because, unlike whisky, gin, and other alcoholic drinks, good vodka tastes almost like nothing.
That is why it is a popular liquor for mixed drinks and cocktails. It mixes well with the majority of conventional mixers, including, but not limited to: orange or other fruit juices, tonic water with Coca-Cola, Red Bull.
12. Coffee: Another very famous beverage that has been around for millennia is coffee. The process involves roasting coffee beans and then powdering them. The coffee is then brewed from the powder using hot water. Along with having a unique flavour and aroma, coffee is well-liked because it includes the stimulant caffeine. It can therefore aid in making people feel more awake and aware.
I enjoy having coffee in the morning, especially if for some reason I didn’t have a good night’s sleep. Some people enjoy drinking black coffee, often known as coffee without any added ingredients, but I like my coffee creamier and tastier by adding some sugar and cream.
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Conclusively, regardless of the fact that there are uncountable soft drinks in the world, these ones had managed to get to the top 8, however, it does not rule out the fact that most drinks mentiond here are not as good.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.