Why was Sierra Mist discontinued? Goodbye Sierra Mist, Hello Starry!! As we have got to know, Sierra Mist has been discontinued. Sierra Mist was introduced by the company in 1999, and now after 24 years of evolution, this brand has gone away. Pepsi’s rival, Sierra Mist, is no more.
People who love to buy a refreshing bottle of lemon-lime soda are up in arms because the company has decided to remove Sierra Mist from the store’s shelves. Not only has Sierra Mist been pulled off the store’s shelves, but also unavailable online. According to recent reports, it has been noted that people want to buy this product again, “demand for lemon-lime flavored soda has never been greater.”
All have loved Sierra Mist since its release, but it has been discontinued, and the chapter of Sierra Mist is now closed permanently.
If you want to know more about one of the most picked refreshing lemon-lime soda drinks, then you must go through this blog post!!
Let’s not wait much longer and get started!!
Why Was Sierra Mist Discontinued?
Do you know? Sierra Mist has been discontinued. This happened on January 8, 2023. After the end date, you can’t find this product on the store’s shelves. The discontinuation series has been continued since 1999 till its end date. But people want to know what is the reason behind Sierra Mist Discontinuation. Here in this section, we will walk you through some of the possible reasons that may help you to know the answer to this question “Why Was Sierra Mist Discontinued?”
Sierra Mist has been discontinued because of its low performance, and the sales could not meet the company’s sales target. Sierra Mist brought in around 1 billion US dollars. In contrast, the rival brand Sprite which the Coca-Cola Company owns, bought six times (6 billion US dollars) more profit than Sierra Mist in the US markets annually.
Later, Pepsi decided to close this chapter of Sierra Mist by gaining more profit annually and becoming one of the most popular lemon-lime sodas across the country.
Sprite also acquired 8.3 percent of all soft drinks sold in America in 2021, making this drink the third best-selling soft drink in lemon-lime flavors worldwide.
To change the game, PepsiCo eliminated Sierra Mist.
Some are considering the company has rebranded the soda and replaced it with another name to attract more customers.
Sierra Mist Discontinued Products
Here we have compiled Sierra Mist products together in a list. So, Let’s have a look at the products of Sierra Mist that the company has discontinued.
HFCS version, Sierra Mist (1999 – 2010, 2016 – 2023): Sierra Mist was lemon-lime soda with lemon and lime flavors replaced in August 2010 with Sierra Mist Natural; after its discontinuation, the product was available in the market. In 2013, the real name Sierra Mist gave.
Sierra Mist Zero Sugar (2000 – 2016, 2018 – 2023): This lemon-flavored drink contains zero sugar which means zero calories and original lemon flavors. Initially, this drink was known as Diet Sierra Mist and contained acesulfame potassium and sucralose in the drink as sweeteners.
Sierra Mist Free (2004 – 2008): Sierra Mist is another name for Diet Sierra Mist formerly.
Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (2006 – 2016): This drink was made up of original flavor and sugar. When Cranberry Splash was launched, it was believed to be only available in the Winter season in specific places in North Carolina. Later, it was realized that its variant is available every season.
Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (2006 – 2016): The Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is the zero-calorie version of Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, formulated with natural flavors and artificial sweeteners.
Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash (2007): It was not a new flavor but a temporary name for Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.
Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze (2007): Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze is also one of the most chosen drinks because of an extra bit of lemon, which was introduced in May 2007. It was also available in a limited edition and only through September 2007.
Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash (2009 – 2011): This Sierra Mist is a zero-calorie drink with ruby grapefruit flavors. Also, it contains all-natural flavors along with artificial sweeteners.
Sierra Mist Free Undercover Orange (2008): Sierra Mist Undercover Orange has been upgraded with a healthy, zero-calorie version.
Sierra Mist Undercover Orange (2008): A limited stock of Sierra Mist Undercover Orange was launched with the film “Get Smart.” Everyone loved this flavor then, but the drawback was Sierra Mist Undercover Orange, available only in summer.
Sierra Mist Ruby Splash (2009 – 2010): Sierra Mist Ruby was the regular drink introduced in 2009, but it was discontinued after a year in 2010. It contained ruby grapefruit, and later, it released its diet version, which was also discontinued in 2011.
Sierra Mist (Real Sugar, 2010 – 2016, 2018 – 2023): Initially, it was known as Sierra Mist Natural; it was an original lemon-lime flavor soft drink that was made with natural lemon and lime with other natural ingredients along with real sugar that’s why it is named as Sierra Mist with real sugar.
Sierra Mist Strawberry Kiwi Splash (2012): This strawberry-kiwi-flavored soft drink was made with real sugar, natural flavors, and other ingredients.
Mist Twist (2016 – 2018): Mist Twst was a real lemon-lime soda that contained lemon and lime flavors with artificial sweeteners.
Mist Twst Cherry (2016 – 2018): Mist Twst Cherry was the new variant of Mist Twst with cherry flavor.
Mist Twst Cranberry: This soft drink was also discontinued in 2018 and introduced in 2016.
Diet Mist Twist Cranberry: It was the variant of Mist Twst, discontinued in 2018.
How Sierra Mist Came Out?
Sierra Mist, the lemon-lime flavored soft drink, was released by PepsiCo in 1999. Then, By 2003, it was available across the United States markets. In 2016, Sierra Mist was named “Mist Twist” Later, in 2018, it regained its original name, i.e., Sierra Mist. In 2023, Sierra Mist was rebranded as Starry.
It was rebranded in early 2023 to compete with the rival companies Sprite Brand and 7 Up; these brands come under Coca-Cola Company and Keurig Dr. Pepper, respectively.
When Sierra Mist was introduced initially, it was sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup from 2000 to 2006. After that, from 2006 to 2010, Sierra Mist was started sweetened with only high-fructose corn syrup.
Its ingredients include citric acid, natural flavors, carbonated water, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid, potassium benzoate, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and calcium disodium EDTA. Sierra Mist is also offered its Diet Sierra Mist, sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
Sweeteners have been cut down to make drinks calorie-free. Still, this reformulation proved unsuccessful because people found the taste of the newly formulated Sierra Mist unpleasant.
Key Points:
- Owner: PepsiCo
- Founded In: United States
- Product Type: Lemon-Lime soft drink
- Released On: May 7, 1999.
- Discontinued/ Replaced On: January 8, 2023.
- Website: sierramist.com
- Brands: Teem Storm, Lemon-Lime Slice (predecessor), Starry (Successor)
What Is Replacing Sierra Mist?
Sierra Mist has been replaced with “Starry”; the new lemon-lime soda tastes almost similar to Sierra Mist. Suppose you want a bottle of refreshing soda that comes in fluorescent green and yellow packaging but have missed it. So you don’t need to worry anymore about it.
As we all know, it is high time to say goodbye to Sierra Mist, but it doesn’t mean that no traces will be left in a soda aisle near you. We are saying so because Sierra Mist has gone, but the latest lemon-lime soda Starry came after Sierra Mist’s discontinuation.
We are sure you are still thinking, “What does Sierra Mist’s replacement taste like?”
Starry (the replacement lemon-lime soda) was believed to taste crisp and refreshing.
It contains citric acid that gives higher citrus flavors and tastes similar to the natural fruit.
It contains no caffeine, and this lemon-lime soda can be easily available at your nearest grocery stores, or you can even buy them online from Amazon or several other websites.
Pepsi stated we had unveiled the new celestial-themed soda instead of Sierra Mist, revealing what people expected. Also, one of the representatives of Pepsi Co. stated. “higher citrus flavors that are true to the fruit and more aromatic which deliver a more balanced, cleaner, crisp finish than Sierra Mist.” they also said, “It delivers the refreshing and crisp flavor that has been especially people were seeking for in the bottle of lemon-lime refreshing soda ever,”
According to recent reports, it has been noted that “a most aggressive move made by the company’s reinvigorated beverage business in years.”
The Bottom Line
We’ve concluded that PepsiCo is pulling out all the stops, and Sierra Mist was discontinued on January 8, 2023. But traces are still there because that lemon-lime soda has been replaced with Starry, which tastes similar to Sierra Mist, or you can expect much more.
