Why You'll Want To Have Pepsi's Newest Drink Before Bed

It may seem counterintuitive for you to reach for a Pepsi product before you hit the sack, but that's exactly what its manufacturers want you to do. PepsiCo says it's getting ready to launch a new relaxation beverage that's been called Driftwell, which Food Dive says will appear on e-commerce sites in December. 

Unlike Pepsi, whose combination of caffeine and sugar could keep you amped for hours, Driftwell will contain 200 grams of L-theanine, an amino acid found in teas, and which appears to improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center says there is also the suggestion that L-theanine can help prevent cancer or cut the risk of a stroke, although there's no solid evidence, and Pepsi is not making any similar claims. The drink, which comes in a blackberry lavender-flavored blend, will also contain 10 percent of the recommended daily value for magnesium and will be served up in 7.5 mini cans offering drinkers the opportunity to "sip into relaxation" (via Fast Company). 

The concept for the drink came from within and was proposed by an inhouse competition launched by CEO Ramon Laguarta. Emily Silver, vice president of innovation and capabilities for PepsiCo North America's beverage unit called it the fastest new product the company has ever launched, but that its timing couldn't be better. "I think we're launching this at a time when there's more consumer interest than there previously was, given everything that's going on from a macro perspective. From a scientific and regulatory perspective, we feel really good about making that claim around L-theanine. Specifically, we have safety in clinical data to prove that it works," Silver told CNBC.

CNN says Driftwell is classified as an "enhanced water" and hopes to compete in the sleep aid and relaxation market. PepsiCo is also hoping that Driftwell is able to claim a spot in the functional drinks market- a small but growing niche of beverages enhanced with vitamins, herbs, plants, and minerals that offer a potential health benefit. So think of drinks like probiotic kombuchas, "golden milks," and high energy teas. It's also a moneymaking space, which earned its producers nearly $31.7 billion in 2019, says Euromonitor International. The functional beverages fill what food and beverage analyst Darren Seifer called a sweet spot. "We think about beverages in three ways: Taste, function and hydration. These functional beverages, they're trying to hit that sweet spot in the middle," he said.