PURCHASE, N.Y. and LAKEVILLE, Mass., Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) and Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. today announced they have formed a strategic alliance in Latin America.  As part of the alliance, PepsiCo will have exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute a portfolio of cranberry- and blueberry-based beverages through its Latin America Beverages division.  The companies will share marketing responsibilities for the products and intend to collaborate on product innovation.

PepsiCo and Ocean Spray have enjoyed a successful business relationship in the U.S. since 2006, when Ocean Spray's single-serve juices and juice drinks entered the PepsiCo bottling system.  As a result of this relationship, which utilizes PepsiCo's market leadership and expertise in the convenience and gas (C&G) channel, Ocean Spray has earned a five percent share of the C&G single-serve juice market and grew volume by 20 percent in 2011.

"We see tremendous opportunities to grow our beverage business in emerging markets throughout Latin America, and we continue to take steps to strengthen our brand portfolio through product innovation, marketing and strategic partnerships," said Luis Montoya, President of PepsiCo's Latin America Beverages Division.  "Ocean Spray is already a great PepsiCo partner in the U.S., and we believe this will be a winning combination for Latin American consumers and customers.  It positions us well to continue to gain share of the growing juice category."

"We are eager to continue building on our successful partnership with PepsiCo, as it will help us expand consumer access to Ocean Spray products in important international markets like Latin America," Ocean Spray's COO of Global Partner Operations, Stewart Gallagher, said. "We believe this is a great opportunity to further promote and deliver the health and nutrition benefits of the cranberry to consumers in Latin America."

The Latin America alliance between PepsiCo and Ocean Spray includes key countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America and has a term of 20 years.  Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses -- Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola -- also make hundreds of other enjoyable foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

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About Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as more than 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed over 80 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2011 gross sales of over $2 billion and net proceeds of $321 million.

PepsiCo Cautionary Statement

Statements in this communication by PepsiCo that are "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 PepsiCo's 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 PepsiCo's products, as a result of changes in consumer preferences and tastes or otherwise; damage to PepsiCo's reputation; PepsiCo's ability to grow its business in developing and emerging markets or unstable political conditions, civil unrest or other developments and risks in the countries where PepsiCo operates; trade consolidation or the loss of any key customer; changes in the legal and regulatory environment; PepsiCo's ability to build and sustain proper information technology infrastructure, successfully implement its ongoing business transformation initiative or outsource certain functions effectively; unfavorable economic conditions in the countries in which PepsiCo operates; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; PepsiCo's ability to compete effectively; increased costs, disruption of supply or shortages of raw materials and other supplies; disruption of PepsiCo's supply chain; climate change, or legal, regulatory or market measures to address climate change; PepsiCo's ability to hire or retain key employees or a highly skilled and diverse workforce; failure to successfully renew collective bargaining agreements or strikes or work stoppages; and failure to successfully complete or integrate acquisitions and joint ventures into PepsiCo's existing operations. For additional information on these and other factors that could cause PepsiCo's actual results to materially differ from those set forth herein, please see PepsiCo's filings with the SEC, including its 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.

SOURCE PepsiCo