PepsiCo's Pure Leaf tops Coke's iced tea brands
In a heavyweight battle of bottled iced teas, PepsiCo's Pure Leaf is dominating Coca-Cola's Golden Peak and Honest Tea on the US market. With consumers turning away from carbonated sodas, the stakes are higher than ever in the category, where sales have more than doubled in the last 10 years, reaching $5.3 billion in the US and about $50 billion globally in 2014. PepsiCo is the absolute market leader with 40% of the iced tea market, compared to Coke's 5.5%. Sales of Pure Leaf, relaunched in 2012 under a partnership with Lipton, jumped by 49% last year. The fact that it is brewed with real tea leaves, as opposed to Golden Peak, which is made from concentrate, may be one factor for its success.