The evolving US refreshment beverage market enlarged by 2.8% in 2006, according to Beverage Marketing Corporation. Americans have extended their beverage repertoire, and leading brands in the market now includes carbonated soft drinks, sports beverages, bottled water, ready-to-drink tea and coffee, fruit beverages and energy drinks. Big companies dominate the leading refreshment beverage trademarks; Pepsi-Cola (with five brands), Coca-Cola (with four) and Cadbury Schweppes’ Dr Pepper/Seven-Up (with one) account for all of the top-ten trademarks. The same companies also rank as the top three in US refreshment sales. Pepsi led the list with nearly $9.6 bln in estimated revenues in 2006. Coca-Cola followed with $7 bln. Cadbury Schweppes’ US beverage business generated $4.5 bln. Aquafina, Gatorade and Tropicana (all from Pepsi) and Dasani (from Coke) were the fastest growing leading trademarks, as they had been in the previous year as well. The Coca-Cola trademark (including all brand variations) held the top spot among liquid refreshment beverages. However, its volume, like the standard carbonated soft drink market as a whole, declined.
| Top carbonated refreshment brands in the US in 2006 | ||||||
| Gallons | Growth | Market share | ||||
| Brand | Manufacturer | 2005 | 2006 | YTY | 2005 | 2006 |
| Coca-Cola | Coca-Cola | 4,848.2 | 4,727.0 | -2.5% | 16.8% | 15.9% |
| Pepsi | PepsiCo | 3,125.0 | 3,028.0 | -3.1% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| Mountain Dew | PepsiCo | 1,309.1 | 1,324.8 | 1.2% | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Dr Pepper | Dr Pepper/7UP | 1,168.2 | 1,193.6 | 2.2% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Gatorade | PepsiCo | 958.0 | 1,072.9 | 12.0% | 3.3% | 3.6% |
| Sprite | Coca-Cola | 993.7 | 958.6 | -3.5% | 3.4% | 3.2% |
| Tropicana | PepsiCo | 706.1 | 778.8 | 10.3% | 2.4% | 2.6% |
| Minute Maid | Coca-Cola | 672.0 | 614.9 | -8.5% | 2.3% | 2.1% |
| Aquafina | PepsiCo | 504.4 | 614.7 | 21.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Dasani | Coca-Cola | 448.0 | 538.0 | 20.1% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation | ||||||