- Slice, which was debuted in 1984, has been off the shelves for about a decade
- Once a high-sugar fruit flavored drink owned by PepsiCo, Slice will return under the ownership of a new Chicago-based enterprise
- The new Slice will be much lower in calories and sugar content – and it will use natural fruit juices too
The sugar-laden soda pop Slice discontinued in the 90s is making a comeback.
Slice was introduced to the public in 1984 and remained on shelves until the last decade.
Dormitus Brands and Spiral Sun Ventures will team up to relaunch the brand later this year after purchasing it from PepsiCo.
However, the new Slice will be a lower sugar, lower calorie drink than the old slice, and will be sweetened with real fruit juice.
Slice, off the shelves for the better part of a decade, will be making a return soon – but with a major change
‘People remember the brand, but they don’t always remember the specifics,’ Mark Thomann, the man who runs the ventures relaunching Slice said to the Chicago Tribune . ‘It’s sort of like clay that you can mold how you want.’
Sugary soft drinks have seen declining sales in the United States for over a decade, and consumers have been buying healthier alternatives, leading Slice to take note of that trend. The Tribune report states that soft drink sales have declined 7.8 percent in the five years spanning from 2012 to 2017.
‘If we were just relaunching it the way it was before, I don’t think it would be successful. We believe this will be a $100 million brand in the next five years,’ Thomann said.
Thormann says he has agreements for Chicago area distributors to stock the new Slice, and he’s talking to larger outlets at the present time.
He also says that the new slice will appeal to those who remember the drink from their younger days, and new, younger consumers who are new to the brand.
The new Slice, no longer owned by PepsiCo, will use natural fruit sweeteners and be much lower in calories and sugar content than the old drink