Manzanita Sol

Manzanita Sol is an apple-flavored carbonated soft-drink brand associated with PepsiCo and rooted in Mexico's fruit-flavored soda market. The brand's history traces to Embotelladora El Sol, a bottling company established by brothers Ramon Rodriguez Fonseca and Manuel Rodriguez Fonseca after they learned the beverage trade from their father, a Spanish industrialist who had settled in Mexico during the twentieth century. The formula for the drink, originally known as Manzana Sol, was registered in 1950. The original production facility was located in Mexico City's San Pedro de los Pinos neighborhood before the operation later moved to Acoxpa 69 in the Coapa area. The beverage was developed as a cider- or apple-flavored soft drink. Earlier formulations reportedly contained 6% apple juice, although product formulations and labeling may vary by market and period. The name Manzanita Sol is Spanish for “little apple sun,” combining a diminutive form of manzana, or apple, with sol, or sun. Its flavor profile distinguishes it from the cola-centered portfolios that dominate much of the carbonated-soft-drink category and places it within the popular manzana, or apple-soda, segment in Mexico and parts of Latin America. PepsiCo acquired the formula in the 1990s and subsequently developed Manzanita Sol as part of its beverage portfolio. In Mexico, the brand became PepsiCo's number-two brand according to the referenced encyclopedia material, benefiting from the popularity of apple-flavored soft drinks, described there as Mexico's second-most-popular soft-drink flavor. The brand competes in Latin American markets with Coca-Cola's Manzana Lift and has particular visibility in Mexican and Mexican-American communities. In the United States, Manzanita Sol has been sold in 12-pack cans, 2-liter bottles, and 20-ounce bottles. Its retail presence has included large national and regional chains such as Walmart, Albertsons, H-E-B, Ralphs, Kmart, Food 4 Less, Jewel-Osco, Target, Vons, Stater Bros., and selected United Supermarkets locations in the Amarillo and Lubbock areas, as well as smaller independent and family-operated stores. The product has also been especially associated with border and Hispanic-oriented markets, including the Los Angeles and El Paso metropolitan areas. The brand has periodically expanded beyond grocery and convenience retail through restaurant availability. Taco Bell added Manzanita Sol to its beverage choices in January 2014, and Golden Corral began offering it the following year. Both restaurant chains later removed it from their beverage selections in 2017. These placements illustrate PepsiCo's effort to give the brand greater visibility through food-service channels, although the removals also show that distribution and restaurant partnerships have changed over time. The available reference material does not establish a separate corporate headquarters, a public listing, or a detailed current product lineup beyond the core apple-flavored soft drink.

Manzanita Sol developed from the Mexican bottling business Embotelladora El Sol, founded by brothers Ramon Rodriguez Fonseca and Manuel Rodriguez Fonseca. The brothers learned the beverage trade from their father, a Spanish industrialist who had arrived in Mexico during the twentieth century. Their original factory operated in Mexico City, in the San Pedro de los Pinos neighborhood, and later moved to Acoxpa 69 in Coapa. The drink's formula was registered in 1950 under the name Manzana Sol. It was conceived as a cider- or apple-flavored soft drink and was reported to contain 6% apple juice in its original formulation. The product's name later became Manzanita Sol, a Spanish expression that can be translated as “little apple sun.” Its apple flavor placed it within a distinctive segment of the Mexican soft-drink market, where fruit-flavored carbonated beverages have long competed alongside cola products. PepsiCo acquired the formula during the 1990s. Under PepsiCo ownership, Manzanita Sol became part of a broader international beverage portfolio and gained distribution in Mexico, the United States, and other Latin American markets. The brand was described in the reference material as PepsiCo's number-two brand in Mexico. Its performance benefited from the importance of apple-flavored soda in Mexico, where apple was identified as the country's second-most-popular soft-drink flavor. In Latin America, the brand competes with Coca-Cola's Manzana Lift. The United States became an important market, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American and Latin American populations. Distribution formats included 12-pack cans, 2-liter bottles, and 20-ounce bottles. Retail availability was reported at Walmart, Albertsons, H-E-B, Ralphs, Kmart, Food 4 Less, Jewel-Osco, Target, Vons, Stater Bros., selected United Supermarkets stores in the Amarillo and Lubbock region, and smaller independent retailers. The brand was especially visible in the Los Angeles and El Paso metropolitan areas and other border-oriented markets. Manzanita Sol also received temporary exposure through restaurant partnerships. Taco Bell added it to its beverage menu in January 2014. Golden Corral followed in 2015. Both chains removed the drink from their beverage selections in 2017. The available sources do not explain the commercial reasons for those removals. The documented history establishes Manzanita Sol as a Mexican-origin fruit-flavored soft drink that became a PepsiCo-owned brand with cross-border distribution. Publicly available reference material does not provide a complete chronology of later formula changes, advertising campaigns, corporate personnel, financial performance, or current market share. Accordingly, those areas remain undocumented in this dossier.

• 2017

  Restaurant placements discontinued

  [1]Manzanita Solen.wikipedia.org

  Taco Bell and Golden Corral both removed Manzanita Sol from their beverage selections.

• 2015

  Golden Corral restaurant launch

  [1]Manzanita Solen.wikipedia.org

  Golden Corral added Manzanita Sol to its beverage selection.

• 2014

  Taco Bell restaurant launch

  [1]Manzanita Solen.wikipedia.org

  Taco Bell began offering Manzanita Sol as a beverage choice in January.

• 1990

  PepsiCo acquires the formula

  [1]Manzanita Solen.wikipedia.org

  PepsiCo acquired the Manzanita Sol formula during the 1990s and incorporated the brand into its beverage portfolio.

• 1950

  Manzana Sol formula registered

  [1]Manzanita Solen.wikipedia.org

  The apple- or cider-flavored soft-drink formula associated with the brand was registered in Mexico under the name Manzana Sol.

A Mexican-origin apple-flavored soda positioned around a distinctive fruit flavor rather than cola, with strong relevance in Mexican, Latin American, border-region, and Hispanic-American beverage markets.

• Apple-flavored carbonated soft drink · 1950

  Manzanita Sol

  The core Manzanita Sol product is a carbonated soft drink flavored with apple and historically associated with a cider-like taste. Reference material states that the original formulation contained 6% apple juice, although the available sources do not establish whether that formulation remains unchanged in every market. In the United States, the drink has been sold in 12-pack cans, 2-liter bottles, and 20-ounce bottles. It is distributed through grocery retailers, smaller stores, and selected food-service outlets.

• 2017

  Termination of restaurant distribution placementsStrategy

  Background

  Manzanita Sol had been available through Taco Bell and Golden Corral as part of PepsiCo's food-service distribution.

  Action taken

  Both restaurant chains discontinued the beverage from their listed choices.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not identify the reasons for the removals or quantify their effect on the brand.

  Source

• 2015

  Expansion into Golden CorralProduct launch

  Background

  Following the Taco Bell placement, Manzanita Sol continued expanding its restaurant availability in the United States.

  Action taken

  Golden Corral added Manzanita Sol to its beverage offerings.

  Aftermath

  Golden Corral removed the product from its beverage selection in 2017.

  Source

• 2014

  Expansion into Taco BellProduct launch

  Background

  Manzanita Sol had established retail distribution in the United States and was particularly present in Mexican-American and border-region markets.

  Action taken

  Taco Bell added Manzanita Sol to its beverage choices in January 2014.

  Aftermath

  The Taco Bell placement ended in 2017 when the chain removed the beverage from its selection.

  Source

1. 1Manzanita Solen.wikipedia.org