PURCHASE, N.Y. and LAS VEGAS, Feb 19, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Fueling its broader beverage portfolio reinvention plans, PepsiCo today announced a multiyear distribution agreement with ROCKSTAR Energy Drink, dramatically increasing the Pepsi system's share of the fast-growing, highly profitable energy drink market. ROCKSTAR will be distributed by The Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG), PepsiAmericas, Pepsi Bottling Ventures and other independent Pepsi-Cola bottlers in most of the United States and all of Canada.

While precise terms of the contract were not disclosed, PepsiCo has purchased rights to function as master distributor, offering ROCKSTAR products exclusively through its bottling system in all trade channels. ROCKSTAR will retain research-and-development, marketing and manufacturing accountabilities. ROCKSTAR significantly expands the PepsiCo portfolio of energy beverages, which also includes products marketed under the AMP, No Fear and Starbucks trademarks.

"ROCKSTAR is a major milestone in our bid to become the undisputed category leader in energy drinks," said Hugh Johnston, president of Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. "Building on the success of AMP and other energy drinks in the Pepsi lineup, it gives our system an immediate boost in value, variety and scale. To borrow a phrase from the ROCKSTAR playbook, we're making our portfolio 'bigger, better, faster, stronger,' moving assertively to the front of the energy drink pack with our bottling partners."

PBG Chairman and CEO Eric Foss commented: "Strengthening and diversifying our brand portfolio is a strategic priority that we share with our partners at PepsiCo and the rest of the Pepsi family. ROCKSTAR is a terrific brand in an expanding beverage segment. Adding it to our portfolio, which already includes the AMP energy brand, gives us a great platform to increase our share and capitalize on future growth opportunities."

Said Russ Weiner, founder and CEO of ROCKSTAR Energy Drink: "The fact that PepsiCo and its bottlers made a substantial investment in securing the distribution rights for ROCKSTAR shows the industry their immense commitment to eventually make ROCKSTAR the No. 1 energy drink in North America. Now that the deal is done, I can honestly say that we at ROCKSTAR feel like we have a true home in the Pepsi system."

ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is formulated with herbal blends to provide an energy boost for people leading active and exhausting lifestyles - from athletes to rock stars. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in 11 amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango Orange Passion Fruit, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, and Roasted Light Vanilla. ROCKSTAR Energy Shots are available in Wild Berry and Tropical Punch flavors. ROCKSTAR is available at convenience and grocery retail outlets across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, and throughout the United Kingdom.

PepsiCo is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, with 2008 annual revenues of more than $43 billion. The company employs approximately 198,000 people worldwide, and its products are sold in approximately 200 countries. Its principal businesses include: Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Quaker foods. The PepsiCo portfolio includes 18 brands that generate $1 billion or more each in annual retail sales. PepsiCo's commitment to sustainable growth, defined as Performance with Purpose, is focused on generating healthy financial returns while giving back to communities the company serves. This includes meeting consumer needs for a spectrum of convenient foods and beverages, reducing the company's impact on the environment through water, energy and packaging initiatives, and supporting its employees through a diverse and inclusive culture that recruits and retains world-class talent. PepsiCo is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (www.pepsi.com), based in Purchase, N.Y., is PepsiCo's refreshment beverage unit in the United States and Canada. Its U.S. trademarks include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Mug, Aquafina, SoBe and IZZE. The company also makes and markets Tropicana juice drinks, Dole and Ocean Spray single-serve juices and North America's bestselling ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks. For more information, please visit www.pepsiproductfacts.com.

The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (NYSE: PBG) is the world's largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages. PBG accounts for more than one-half of the Pepsi-Cola beverages sold in North America and about 40% of the Pepsi-Cola system volume worldwide. With approximately 67,000 employees and annual sales of nearly $14 billion, PBG has operations in the U.S., Canada, Greece, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Turkey. Roughly 30% of the company's operations are outside of the U.S. For more information, please visit www.pbg.com.

PepsiAmericas, Inc. (NYSE: PAS) is the world's second-largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of PepsiCo beverages. With annual sales of $4.9 billion in 2008, PAS employs more than 20,000 people and operates 33 manufacturing facilities and over 175 distribution centers across its markets. PAS serves a population of more than 200 million in a significant portion of a 19-state region in the U.S.; Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia; and the Caribbean. For more information, please visit www.pepsiamericas.com.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures, LLC (www.pepsibottlingventures.com) is the nation's third largest anchor bottler for Pepsi-Cola, operating 23 manufacturing, distribution and sales facilities serving over 8 million consumers in North Carolina, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Vermont. PBV is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Cautionary Statement

This release contains statements concerning PepsiCo's expectations for future performance. These "forward-looking statements" are based on currently available information, operating plans and projections about future events and trends. They inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: changes in demand for our products, as a result of shifts in consumer preferences or otherwise; increased costs, disruption of supply or shortages of raw materials and other supplies; unfavorable economic conditions and increased volatility in foreign exchange rates; our ability to build and sustain proper information technology infrastructure, successfully implement our ongoing business process transformation initiative or outsource certain functions effectively; damage to our reputation; trade consolidation, the loss of any key customer, or failure to maintain good relationships with our bottling partners; our ability to hire or retain key employees or a highly skilled and diverse workforce; changes in the legal and regulatory environment; disruption of our supply chain; unstable political conditions, civil unrest or other developments and risks in the countries where we operate; and risks that benefits from our Productivity for Growth initiative may not be achieved, may take longer to achieve than expected or may cost more than currently anticipated. For additional information on these and other factors that could cause our actual results to materially differ from those set forth herein, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. PepsiCo undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.