On Opening Day, Zevia Faces Diet Pepsi

March 30, 2014
Stevia-sweetened Zevia has becomes the 'official zero-calorie soda sponsor' of the Oakland A's.

It's opening day for baseball season, and in the Oakland Athletics' ballpark, upstart Zevia has made the big leagues, facing none other than longtime champ Diet Pepsi.

What we mean is, stevia-sweetened Zevia has become the official "zero-calorie soda sponsor of the Oakland A's." Pepsi products, including Diet Pepsi, will continue to be sold in fountains but Zevia will be sold in cans throughout the stadium, and its "official sponsorship" will otherwise be touted.

Pepsi has been the official sponsor, for all forms of soda, in past years, but its contract expired at the end of last season. We didn't hear back from the A's on the reason for the switch. Perhaps Pepsi just took a pass.

Whatever, Zevia swept in and claims to be "the first natural zero-calorie soda in any Major League Baseball park."

It's a pretty good match. Zevia, based in Los Angeles (what about the Dodgers or Angels?), claims to have quite a following in the Bay Area and has been known for unconventional marketing. As for the ball team, "From their success during the 1970s and 80s to the era of ‘Moneyball,’ the A’s have always been an inventive franchise that succeeds using a different path than their competitors," said Zevia CEO Paddy Spence. "This is every bit the Zevia story."

While it originally was sweetened with only stevia, Zevia recently added monk fruit. It "complements and enhances our soda’s overall sweetness while reducing any of that stevia aftertaste you may have noticed before," a company announcement states.

Play ball, Zevia!

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