What Happened to SoBe Drinks? The Mystery Behind the Disappearance of a Beloved Beverage Brand

SoBe drinks, once a popular beverage brand that carried multiple fruitful flavors, seems to have completely disappeared from the market. If you’ve been on the hunt for a SoBe drink, you may still be able to find one if you’re lucky. The brand, which was founded in 1995 and is owned by PepsiCo, still has a functional website that features its current line of beverages — SoBe Elixir, though they can’t be purchased directly from the site. But, if you’re adamant about finding SoBe drinks, there still may be a way. Keep reading to find out where you can find SoBe drinks.

For several years now, Twitter users have been asking what happened to their favorite SoBe flavors of Lifewater, Elixir, Teas, and Lizard Milk. Officials with Pepsi Co., which has owned the SoBe brand since 2000, suggest that drink fans check the product locator on its website. Although the brand hasn’t been discontinued altogether, ‘local availability can vary.’ While some SoBe products were being sold on Amazon, for instance, the e-commerce giant had a 12-pack of 20-ounce bottles on Amazon for $18 and a 12-pack of SoBe Elixir for $35, many of those listings don’t appear to be active anymore. SoBe got its start in 1995 when founders John Bello and Tom Schwalm wanted to recreate the vibe of South Beach, Fla., in a drink. The first product of the South Beach Beverage Company was the SoBe Black Tea 3G, which contained ginseng, guarana, and ginkgo.

The Discontinuation of SoBe Drinks

According to The U.S. Sun, SoBe drinks were discontinued by PepsiCo several years before 2024. Although PepsiCo has not said why the drinks are no longer being produced, there is some speculation that PepsiCo dropped SoBe to invest more in its more successful drink brands such as Gatorade and Bubbly. SoBe was founded as the South Beach Beverage Company in 1995, before being bought by PepsiCo in 2001. The goal of the brand was to create non-carbonated beverages, or what the company called ‘new age’ drinks. The founders pushed adding medicinal herbs and marketing the drinks as ‘wellness’ or ‘functional’ products to appeal to late 1990s and early 2000s drink trends.

The Availability of SoBe Drinks

Although the SoBe website is still up, the SoBe drink supply is limited. On the Product Locator tab, it shows a handful of SoBe elixirs still out there as of September 2024, such as the Liz Blizz, Citrus Energy, and Green Tea flavors, along with the Strawberry Dragonfruit flavor and Black and Blueberry of SoBeWater. Unfortunately, these SoBe drinks are marked as having ‘regional availability,’ meaning they are only sold in a few gas stations and grocery stores across the country. Even Amazon does not seem to have them in stock, and as we know, Amazon has everything!

The Future of SoBe

Given that SoBe has not posted on its official social media accounts in years, with its last Twitter post being in 2016 and its last Instagram post being in 2018, it is safe to assume that the remaining SoBe drinks scattered across the country are the remnants from years prior, and the company will not be making any more of its beloved beverages. While this is the common inference, there is no way of knowing whether or not SoBe is out of business for good. SoBe is still listed as an active product on PepsiCo’s official website. However, without an official statement from either SoBe or PepsiCo, it is up in the air as to whether or not we will be getting more drinks in the future.

FAQs

Q: Are SoBe drinks completely discontinued?

A: While SoBe drinks are not completely discontinued, their availability is limited and varies by region.

Q: Can SoBe drinks be purchased online?

A: Some SoBe products may be available for purchase online through e-commerce platforms, but availability is not guaranteed.

Q: Will SoBe drinks make a comeback in the future?

A: The future of SoBe drinks is uncertain, as there has been no official statement regarding their production and availability.

Q: Why did PepsiCo discontinue SoBe drinks?

A: The exact reason for discontinuing SoBe drinks has not been officially stated by PepsiCo, but there is speculation that it was to focus on more successful drink brands.

Q: Where can I find SoBe drinks?

A: SoBe drinks may have regional availability in select gas stations and grocery stores, and some products may be available for purchase online through certain retailers.