Cucumber Soda Hits Shelves in Japan

The world just got a little bit stranger with the introduction of cucumber flavoured soda hitting shelves in Japan, reports the Associated Press.

The beverage giant, , Pepsi, has created the new drink and it is being called 'Pepsi Ice Cucumber'. The point of this bizarre new soda concoction? Well it is hoped that the refreshing cucumber flavour will make the soda an attractive beverage in the heat of the summer.

The soda is a cool refreshing green colour, which is sure to be tempting when temperatures soar. 'Pepsi Ice Cucumber' hit Japanese stores yesterday and at the moment will only be available in Japan and just for this summer. Though who knows, success in Japan this summer may lead to the interesting soda being made available in other parts of the world during the summer months.

A spokeswoman from Suntory Ltd, the Japanese distributor of Pepsi, spoke with the Associated Press. Aya Takemoto said, "We wanted a flavour that makes people think of keeping cool in the summer heat. We thought cucumber was just perfect."

The new cucumber soda is flavoured artificially to make it taste like cucumber, and doesn't really contain any actual cucumber. Aya Takemoto discussed the flavour with the Associated Press saying that they aimed to create a soda that was similar to "the refreshing taste of a fresh cucumber."

The first day of sales in Japan of 'Pepsi Ice Cucumber' went well. There will certainly be many people eager to try the new interesting flavour and the company hopes that the summer months will result in around 200,000 cases being sold.

The beverage market in Japan is very competitive with Coca Cola leading the pack. 15 percent of the beverage market in Japan belongs to Coca Cola followed by Pepsi. Sodas aren't the only highly popular drinks in Japan. The highly popular Green Tea and Coffee drinks give the soda companies' stiff competition for consumers' money.

According to the Japanese distributor of Pepsi; Suntory, the company sales in 2006 of Pepsi drinks reached 20.5 million cases.

For those living in the US they will have to be content this summer with another Pepsi product, Mountain Dew, if they want to drink a green soda. The yellowish green colour doesn't quite match the bright minty green colour of 'Pepsi Ice Cucumber', but the refreshing taste might have the same effect on a hot summer day.

Sources
http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/sns-ap-cucumber-soda,0,370751.story?coll=hc-headlines-topnews
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/13/world/main2922732.shtml