The world of cuisine lives on convention. Some combinations become so ubiquitous that they seem nigh on sacred peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, burgers and fries. But then a bold brand comes along, takes a leap of faith, turns the rulebook upside down, and brings in something that provokes our palates and occasionally our tolerance. This summer, that courageous act came not from a condiment behemoth like Heinz or French’s, but from one of America’s most iconic drink companies: Pepsi.
Yes, Pepsi the 1893-founded cola giant has made an unexpected foray into the condiment shelf with a product that has intrigued and baffled many: Pepsi Colachup.
A Cola in the Condiment Aisle
For over a hundred years, Pepsi has been linked to its tangy, fizzy cola that millions grab during ballgames, barbecues, and pizza parties. Only in the most remote stretches of imagination would anyone put it in the same paragraph as ketchup. However, in a marketing stunt flawlessly timed with the country’s celebrations of the Fourth of July, Pepsi chose to introduce a limited-release condiment that they unabashedly called “the champion of all toppings.”
The announcement dropped on June 27, 2023, through Pepsi’s official Twitter handle. The post read with confident flair:
“Stop the condiment wars, the undisputed champ is here – Pepsi Colachup. Sweet, salty, and ready to try at select baseball stadiums on July 4th. Hot dogs are #BetterWithPepsi.”
It wasn’t a random experiment either. The launch fits neatly into Pepsi’s ongoing #BetterWithPepsi campaign, which has long promoted the idea that America’s favorite foods burgers, pizza, fried chicken taste better when paired with a Pepsi. Now, the brand was ready to raise the stakes: instead of Pepsi just being the drink beside your hot dog, why not let Pepsi become part of the hot dog itself?
From Idea to Innovation: The Birth of Colachup
According to Pepsi’s Senior Director Jenny Danzi, the concept wasn’t a gimmick pulled out of thin air. Pepsi has always believed that hot dogs and cola share a natural synergy. That belief was strong enough to inspire a full-blown culinary project.
Pepsi enlisted the help of none other than Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Consulting a name that speaks massive credibility in food circles. The two of them went through months of work to develop a recipe that would taste imaginative but not unpleasantly so, even to hard-to-please consumers.
David Kamen, the Director of Client Experience at CIA, broke down the process in a manner that left even doubters flicking an eyebrow with intrigue. “The unique flavor and zesty citrus mix of Pepsi complements the effervescent and tart qualities of ketchup and counters the smokiness of the hot dog,” he stated. “It’s simple and innovative. A new way altogether to savor two America icons.”
What’s in Pepsi Colachup?
If you’re wondering whether this is just ketchup with cola dumped in, the answer is no. Pepsi and the CIA worked on a layered recipe designed to stand on its own.
The foundation starts with a Pepsi decrease, reduced to concentrate its sweetness and caramel flavor. To counteract this, the formula adds smoked tomatoes, with depth and richness, and a spice medley cinnamon, thyme, oregano, and paprika. Onions and a ketchup foundation of old complete the sauce, imparting that all-too-familiar zing while integrating the unmistakable cola flavor.
The outcome? A condiment that’s meant to be smoky, tangy, and citrusy, but not overly so, with a sweetness level just enough to recall Pepsi.
The Big Debut: Ballpark Exclusive
Pepsi knew precisely where to debut Colachup: Major League Baseball parks. And, of course, nothing screams “American tradition” quite as loudly as a ballgame on the Fourth of July, hot dog in hand.
Fans were able to try the condiment at four ballparks:
- Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers) – Section 139
- Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees) – Pepsi Lounge (paid ticket)
- Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks) – Sections 130/131
- Target Field (Minnesota Twins) – Section 113
By limiting the rollout, Pepsi made Colachup an event driven by scarcity maximizing buzz while managing risk.
Concurrently, Pepsi made the offer sweeter across the board. Over Independence Day weekend, if you purchased a hot dog and a Pepsi from any food retailer, you could text “FREEPEPSI” and be reimbursed for the beverage via Venmo, PayPal, or gift card. The company was blunt: Pepsi and hot dogs go together, whether you were in the ballpark or your backyard picnic.
The Internet Responds: “Genius” or “Abomination”?
As expected, Colachup instantly set Twitter ablaze. Few food announcements have managed to divide the internet this sharply.
On one side were the skeptics, who dismissed the condiment with brutal honesty. Tweets ranged from playful insults like, “I’m calling the FBI” and “Put down the mouse, step away from MidJourney” to visceral rejections like “Barf” and “This has to be a joke.”
Most just regarded it as a redundant innovation: “We didn’t ask for this.” Others put it in the context of evidence for how Coca-Cola continues to dominate the cola wars.
But on the flip side, curiosity simmered. More than a few users confessed to wanting to give it a go, with such comments as: “I love Pepsi. I love ketchup. I guess I’d give it a shot.” Even a considerable amount asked about bottled sales, to the point of pestering Pepsi to have it in stores. A few went so far as saying they’d purchase it by the case.
In the age of social media, such polarized reactions aren’t a failure they’re fuel. Pepsi’s marketing team knew that outrage plus curiosity equals attention, and attention equals sales.
Enter Joey Chestnut: The Ultimate Endorsement
No hot dog campaign would be complete without Joey Chestnut, the 15-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion. Pepsi partnered with him to give Colachup the ultimate credibility boost.
Chestnut’s endorsement carried serious weight. “There’s no better way to eat a hot dog – steamed, grilled, or fried – than with a perfectly cool and crisp Pepsi,” he said. By attaching the Colachup experiment to the world’s most famous hot dog eater, Pepsi cleverly merged novelty with legitimacy.
Pepsi’s Playbook: A History of Bold Food Experiments
For die-hard Pepsi observers, Colachup was not a one-off stunt. Pepsi has been consistently cultivating a reputation as the go-to brand for wacky collaborations and limited-time releases with a specific mandate to get shared online.
- 2021: Pepsi x Peeps – A marshmallow-flavored soda that mixed Easter sweets with cola.
- 2022: Pepsi-Roni Pizza – A pizza topped with pepperoni infused with Pepsi.
Other offbeat collabs have included maple syrup Pepsi, mango Pepsi, and even nitrogen-infused Pepsi for a draft-style pour.
Every one of these tests unfolds the same way: introduce something quirky, see social media go wild, offer a limited production run for sale, and make Pepsi the bold, playful competitor to Coke.
The Business Behind the Buzz
Pepsi’s decision to venture into condiments wasn’t just a marketing prank. It reflects a strategic confidence backed by strong financial performance. In the first quarter of 2023, PepsiCo reported a 10.2% increase in net sales, reaching $17.85 billion. The brand’s stock was also up over 10% year-over-year.
When a company has momentum like that, it can afford to take risks. Even if Colachup never sees the inside of a Walmart aisle, the buzz alone strengthens Pepsi’s brand identity playful, experimental, and culturally relevant.
Will Pepsi Colachup Stick Around?
That’s the million-dollar question. Limited-edition releases tend to vanish as fast as they appear, but consumer interest may open the door to a return engagement. If sufficient numbers of customers create demand on store shelves, Pepsi may comply.
At the minimum, Colachup has already earned a place in the food oddity hall of fame. Like Crystal Pepsi of the 1990s or Heinz purple ketchup, it may be looked back on as a wacky cultural oddity either loved or hated.
Conclusion: A Condiment That Started a Conversation
Pepsi Colachup may not change the condiment game, but what it did do is something perhaps even more worthwhile: it made people talk. In a world where brands battle tooth and nail for attention, developing a product that trends on social media, gets press from mainstream media, and is a watercooler topic at backyard barbecues is a big victory.
Whether or not you think the concept of Pepsi-flavored ketchup is genius or sacrilegious, you can’t argue with its success at generating buzz. Pepsi has again demonstrated that it’s willing to break the rules between the mundane and the amazing, between heritage and breakthrough.
And who knows? Perhaps next summer, you’ll be squirting a bottle of Pepsi Colachup onto your backyard hot dog and surreptitiously relishing each bite.
