Pepsi Beverages Company and Tampico Beverages Announce Distribution Agreement

SOMERS, N.Y. and CHICAGO, Ill., April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pepsi Beverages Company (PBC), a division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), and Tampico Beverages, Inc. today announced an agreement to distribute TAMPICO PLUS® fruit-flavored beverage products via PepsiCo's direct store delivery system in select U.S. markets.  Financial terms of the distribution agreement were not disclosed.

The addition of TAMPICO PLUS®, an extension of the successful line of Tampico beverages, is part of PBC's stated strategy to provide a range of healthier beverage choices.  TAMPICO PLUS® is made with 50 percent less sugar than regular Tampico products, contains 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C per eight-ounce serving, and qualifies as an excellent source of vitamins A and E under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's food labeling guidelines.  TAMPICO PLUS® is also compliant with school beverage guidelines for U.S. high schools, a set of standards established by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation to provide students with more nutritious choices.

Tampico® is the number-one refrigerated juice-drink brand in the U.S. grocery channel. The brand has a particularly strong position in many southwestern markets, driven in large part by its popularity among Hispanic and other multicultural consumers.

"One of our top priorities is to lead in the areas of consumer engagement and innovation. As part of our efforts, we're focused on meeting the needs of the growing number of multicultural households in the U.S. and entering new beverage categories with attractive growth potential," said Mike Durkin, president of PBC's North America field operations.  "TAMPICO PLUS® is an excellent addition to our portfolio, as it's a strong brand that offers great-tasting, better-for-you products at good value to consumers."

"This is the beginning of a great partnership," said Scott Miller, CEO of Tampico.  "This relationship allows Tampico to align with PepsiCo and its outstanding portfolio of brands while delivering TAMPICO PLUS® products to new channels of trade.  Our goal is to continue developing great-tasting products and to meet the needs of our on-the-go consumers across the country."

The distribution deal is part of PBC's previously announced Learning Labs program, an initiative designed to strengthen and diversify the company's brand portfolio by providing access to promising new beverage categories.  

PBC will begin distributing TAMPICO PLUS® in the second quarter of 2010 across parts of California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Florida and Georgia.  The brand will be available in Citrus, Mango and Tropical flavors, and in various single-serve and multi-pack packages.  

About Pepsi Beverages Company

Pepsi Beverages Company (PBC) is PepsiCo's beverage manufacturing, sales and distribution operating unit in the United States, Canada and Mexico. PBC handles approximately 75 percent of PepsiCo's North America beverage volume. Its diverse portfolio includes some of the world's most widely recognized beverage brands, including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Aquafina, Gatorade, SoBe, Lipton, and Amp Energy. In many markets, PBC also manufactures and/or distributes non-Pepsi brands, including Dr Pepper, Crush, ROCKSTAR, and Muscle Milk. The operating unit is headquartered in Westchester County, New York and employs approximately 70,000 people. Learn more about PBC at www.pepsico.com/pbc.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About Tampico Beverages

Founded in 1989 in Chicago, Illinois, Tampico Beverages is a global brand sold in over 55 countries worldwide. With substantial brand awareness in the United States' Hispanic community and throughout Latin America, Tampico maintains a leadership position as the number one refrigerated juice drink in groceries across America and one of the leading suppliers of value-added juice drink concentrates in the world.  For more information, please visit www.tampico.com.  

Tampico Beverages is a subsidiary of Houchens Industries, Inc., a diversified conglomerate headquartered in Bowling Green, KY that is wholly-owned by its employees. Houchens has over 17,000 employees in businesses such as retail grocery and convenience stores, quick-to-service restaurants, insurance, manufacturing, software, website development, construction, crushed stone aggregates and asphalt paving, recycling, tanning supply distribution, franchising of optical stores, financial services and property management. Houchens is listed as one of the largest 100% employee owned companies in the United States.  For more information, please visit www.houchensindustries.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo