Pepsi Wild Cherry

Pepsi Wild Cherry is a cherry-flavored cola marketed by PepsiCo as part of the Pepsi beverage portfolio. It was formally introduced in 1988, following several years of experimentation and test marketing with cherry-flavored Pepsi products. Its development reflected the growing importance of flavored colas in the United States after Coca-Cola introduced Cherry Coke in 1985. Pepsi had tested a formulation known as Cherry Pepsi in Canada between 1985 and 1987, while PepsiCo also sold Cherry Cola Slice in the United States from 1986 until the arrival of Pepsi Wild Cherry. The product therefore emerged from a broader competitive effort to establish a Pepsi-branded alternative in the expanding cherry-cola segment. The core product combines the familiar Pepsi cola profile with cherry flavoring. It is sold as a regular sugared soft drink and has also been extended into sugar-free versions. Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry is based on the Diet Pepsi formula and contains no calories, while Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry is the corresponding zero-sugar formulation based on Pepsi Zero Sugar. These variants allow the brand to address different consumer preferences while retaining the recognizable wild-cherry identity. In the United States and Canada, Pepsi Wild Cherry is sold as a continuing product in cans and bottles. Pepsi officially relaunched the product in Canada on March 25, 2017, after a period in which its Canadian availability had been limited. In French-language Canadian marketing, the product is known as Cerise En Folie. The drink has also appeared in other international markets, although availability and formulation can differ. In some countries, PepsiCo has used a cherry-flavored product associated with the Pepsi Max formula rather than distributing the same Pepsi Wild Cherry product sold in North America. PepsiCo has periodically used the Wild Cherry flavor as a platform for extensions. Pepsi Wild Cherry Vanilla, which combined cherry and vanilla notes, was introduced in the United States as a limited-time flavor in 2010 and returned in limited form in 2016. In January 2025, Pepsi added Wild Cherry & Cream to its permanent lineup in both original and zero-sugar versions, broadening the range beyond the standard cherry-cola profile. PepsiCo has also marketed the Wild Cherry flavor outside beverages, including as a lip balm. The brand's positioning is based on flavor differentiation within the mainstream cola category. Rather than functioning as a separate beverage company or independent corporate brand, Pepsi Wild Cherry operates as a flavor-led product line within Pepsi. Its principal competitive context is the long-running rivalry between PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, particularly the competition between Pepsi Wild Cherry and Cherry Coke. The product remains active, with its strongest established presence in the United States and Canada and additional availability varying by country.

Pepsi Wild Cherry developed during the expansion of flavored cola products in the 1980s. Coca-Cola's introduction of Cherry Coke in 1985 helped establish cherry cola as a significant branded segment and prompted PepsiCo to test its own response. Pepsi conducted test marketing in Canada from 1985 through 1987 for a formulation called Cherry Pepsi. In the United States, PepsiCo also introduced Cherry Cola Slice in 1986 under the Slice soft-drink line. That product remained available until Pepsi Wild Cherry became the principal Pepsi-branded cherry cola. Pepsi Wild Cherry was introduced in 1988. Its launch gave PepsiCo a direct product counterpart to Cherry Coke and extended the competitive relationship between Pepsi and Coca-Cola into a specific flavored-cola category. The product used the Pepsi brand name rather than being presented as a separate soft-drink brand, allowing PepsiCo to build on existing brand recognition while adding a cherry flavor proposition. The line later expanded through sugar-free products. Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry uses a Diet Pepsi-based formula and is marketed as a zero-calorie alternative. Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry is based on Pepsi Zero Sugar and provides another no-sugar version. These products broadened the line's appeal while preserving the same central flavor identity. Availability has varied by market and over time. In the United States and Canada, the regular product is described as a continuing offering sold in cans and bottles. Canada experienced a period of limited availability before Pepsi officially relaunched the product there on March 25, 2017. The Canadian French-language name is Cerise En Folie. Other countries have carried related cherry Pepsi products, but the exact branding and formula are not uniform. For example, some markets have sold a comparable cherry-flavored drink under the Pepsi Max formula. PepsiCo has treated Wild Cherry as a platform for limited and permanent extensions. Pepsi Wild Cherry Vanilla was launched in the United States in 2010 as a limited-edition combination of cherry and vanilla and returned in 2016. In January 2025, Pepsi added Wild Cherry & Cream to the permanent range in regular and zero-sugar forms. The Wild Cherry flavor has also been used in a non-beverage item, including a lip balm marketed by PepsiCo. The brand remains part of PepsiCo's active soft-drink portfolio. Its role is primarily flavor differentiation within the cola category: it offers a fruit-forward alternative to standard Pepsi while retaining the parent brand's identity. Its clearest competitive reference remains Coca-Cola's Cherry Coke, reflecting the broader Pepsi-Coca-Cola rivalry that shaped the product's development.

• 2025

  Wild Cherry & Cream joins the permanent lineup

  [1]Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org

  Pepsi introduced Wild Cherry & Cream in original and zero-sugar versions as permanent additions to the Wild Cherry range.

• 2017

  Canadian relaunch

  [1]Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org

  Pepsi officially relaunched Pepsi Wild Cherry in Canada on March 25, after a period of limited-time availability.

• 2016

  Wild Cherry Vanilla returns

  [1]Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org

  Pepsi Wild Cherry Vanilla returned in limited form in the United States.

• 2010

  Pepsi Wild Cherry Vanilla launches as a limited edition

  [1]Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org

  PepsiCo released a United States limited edition combining Wild Cherry and vanilla flavors.

• 1988

  Pepsi Wild Cherry is introduced

  [1]Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org

  PepsiCo launched Pepsi Wild Cherry as a cherry-flavored cola and a Pepsi-branded competitor in the growing cherry-cola segment.

• 1986

  Cherry Cola Slice launches in the United States

  [1]Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org

  PepsiCo introduced Cherry Cola Slice in the United States as an earlier cherry-flavored product before the launch of Pepsi Wild Cherry.

• 1985

  Cherry Pepsi test marketing begins in Canada

  [1]Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org

  Pepsi tested a cherry-flavored formulation known as Cherry Pepsi in Canada, beginning a development period that continued through 1987.

A flavor-led cola extension that combines Pepsi's standard cola profile with cherry flavor, positioned as a mainstream alternative to other cherry colas and offered in both sugared and sugar-free formats.

• Cherry-flavored cola · 1988

  Pepsi Wild Cherry

  The core Pepsi Wild Cherry product is a cola flavored with cherry. It was introduced in 1988 after Canadian test marketing and is sold as a mainstream Pepsi product in cans and bottles. The regular sugared formulation is available in the United States and Canada as a continuing product, with availability in other countries varying by market.

• Zero-calorie cherry cola

  Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry

  Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry is the sugar-free, zero-calorie version of the product. It is based on the Diet Pepsi formula while retaining the Wild Cherry flavor profile. It extends the line to consumers seeking a diet cola alternative rather than the standard sugared formulation.

• Zero-sugar cherry cola

  Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry

  Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry is a no-sugar variant based on Pepsi Zero Sugar. It provides the Wild Cherry flavor in a separate zero-sugar formulation and complements Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry within PepsiCo's reduced-calorie portfolio.

• Limited-edition flavored cola · 2010

  Pepsi Wild Cherry Vanilla

  Pepsi Wild Cherry Vanilla combined the Wild Cherry flavor with vanilla. It was released in the United States as a limited edition in 2010 and returned in limited form in 2016. It functioned as a seasonal or experimental extension rather than a permanent core product.

• Cherry-and-cream cola · 2025

  Pepsi Wild Cherry & Cream

  Wild Cherry & Cream is a newer extension of the Wild Cherry concept, combining cherry flavor with a cream note. Pepsi introduced it in January 2025 in both regular and zero-sugar forms and positioned it as part of the permanent lineup.

• Branded personal-care merchandise

  Pepsi Wild Cherry lip balm

  PepsiCo has also marketed the Wild Cherry flavor in a lip balm. This product extends the flavor identity beyond beverages and serves as branded merchandise rather than a soft drink.

• 2025

  Make Wild Cherry & Cream a permanent variantProduct launch

  Background

  PepsiCo had previously used Wild Cherry for limited-edition combinations, including Wild Cherry Vanilla.

  Action taken

  Pepsi introduced Wild Cherry & Cream in regular and zero-sugar versions as permanent additions to the lineup.

  Aftermath

  The Wild Cherry range expanded from a straightforward cherry cola into a broader flavor family with a permanent cream-inflected variant.

  Source

• 2017

  Relaunch in CanadaStrategy

  Background

  Canadian availability had been limited for approximately five years.

  Action taken

  Pepsi officially relaunched the product in Canada on March 25, 2017.

  Aftermath

  The product returned as a regular Canadian offering, using the French-market name Cerise En Folie.

  Source

• 1988

  Launch Pepsi Wild CherryProduct launch

  Background

  The launch followed Canadian testing of Cherry Pepsi and PepsiCo's earlier Cherry Cola Slice product, against the backdrop of the successful Cherry Coke introduction.

  Action taken

  PepsiCo introduced a cherry-flavored cola under the Pepsi Wild Cherry name.

  Aftermath

  The product became PepsiCo's principal Pepsi-branded cherry cola and remained part of the portfolio.

  • Coca-Cola — Pepsi Wild Cherry entered a category in which Coca-Cola already competed with Cherry Coke; no specific competitor statement is documented in the supplied material.

  Source

1. 1Pepsi Wild Cherryen.wikipedia.org