PepsiCo Launches New Energy Drink With Hemp Seed Oil

(RTTNews) - Snacks and beverage company PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) has announced a new Rockstar Energy variant on the market that will use hemp seed oil to relax the consumers. The variant will also have less caffeine, reported CNBC. Apart from hemp seed oil, Rockstar Unplugged is also going to have spearmint and lemon balm to add to the relaxation effect. The drink will have only a meager dose of 80 milligrams of caffeine compared to its more energy-focused cousins which contain anywhere between 160 mg to 300 mg of caffeine. The general manager and chief marketing officer of PepsiCo's energy wing, Fabiola Torres said, "It's a combination of herbals that can help us to relax, but not to sleep." The product is aimed at younger customers and women. The drink will be released in three flavors, blueberry, passion fruit, and raspberry cucumber, and will be available for just $1.99 a can. The company has previously tested a variant of the drink in the German market where the amount of caffeine was higher named, Rockstar Energy + Hemp. The CEO of the company, Ramon Laguarta said that the product was introduced in Germany for a greater supply of hemp in the market. The popularity of hemp-infused drinks in Germany has also played an important role. Hemp's long-standing association with CBD, the psychoactive component of marijuana, is surely going to cause some sort of controversy for the product, and anticipating the likeness, Torres said, ?[Hemp seed] doesn't have any functionality, it comes from an herb. Imagine you're drinking an herbal tea, with caffeine. That's it." CBD drinks have not really found their way into the US market due to a very poor consumption rate, compared to the German market. "This is new territory, so we're trying to test and learn and really have fun with it," Torres said.