Pepsi Launches Hemp Oil-Infused Rockstar Product

PepsiCo is launching a new Rockstar Energy product — Unplugged — infused with hemp seed oil, CNBC reports. The brand is similar to a test product, Rockstar Energy + Hemp, that was launched in Germany last April but contains twice the amount of caffeine as the U.S. formulation.

In addition to hemp seed oil, Unplugged products include spearmint, lemon balm, B vitamins, and only 80 milligrams of caffeine – other Rockstar iterations include 160 milligrams to 300 milligrams of caffeine.

Pepsi said it hopes to attract younger, female customers with the Unplugged product. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, men between the ages of 18 to 34-years-old consume the most energy drinks.

Fabiola Torres, PepsiCo general manager and chief marketing officer of its energy business, described the line as “a combination of herbals that can help us to relax, but not to sleep.” In an interview with the New York Post, she indicated that 91% of consumers told Pepsi they “wanted a beverage that lifts their mood.”

″[Hemp seed] doesn’t have any functionality, it comes from an herb. Imagine you’re drinking an herbal tea, with caffeine. That’s it.” — Torres to CNBC

Torres added that using hemp seed is “new territory” for the company which is “trying to test and learn and really have fun with it.”

Rockstar Unplugged will be available in 12-ounce, slim cans in three flavors: blueberry, passion fruit, and raspberry cucumber. It will be available next week nationwide, starting at $1.99 per can.

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