Canadiana is doing big business as more consumers seek out domestically made products, spurred by ongoing tensions with the U.S. The latest brand wearing the maple leaf on its sleeve? Pepsi.
Despite its logo being the colours red, white and blue, the cola juggernaut released a Canada-exclusive flavour starting this week: Maple Cola. Available on shelves for the next four weeks, or until sold out, the drink comes in regular full-sugar form in individual bottles as well as zero sugar in 12-can packs.
The Star was sent two cans of the zero sugar maple soda to sample. I’ll say this: it has a smokey, deep caramel flavour that’s reminiscent of maple syrup. Since maple is a strong flavour to begin with, it doesn’t get lost in the equally strong cola taste, unlike the osmanthus Pepsi released for the Chinese market, which was far too muted. Among the company’s many novelty flavours over the years, this one is a pleasant surprise.
“Each year we look at what Canadians are looking for and what flavours will resonate. Given the increasing pride in the Canadian spirit, the R&D team came up with (the maple cola),” said Laura Grey, PepsiCo.’s senior director of marketing and sales strategy. Whether the cola will become a permanent fixture on store shelves remains to be seen. Grey said the company is monitoring customer feedback and sales and that it’s too early to make a decision.
The maple cola is bottled and canned across PepsiCo.’s six Canadian plants in Delta, B.C., Calgary, Moncton, Mississauga, Winnipeg and Montreal. The Montreal facility is the company’s first Canadian plant, which opened in 1934.
“We’ve always been able to say our products were made in Canada before it became a trend,” said Grey when asked whether Pepsi faces an uphill battle appealing to Canadians in the era of Elbows Up. Another PepsiCo brand, Lay’s, also produces its chips domestically for the Canadian market. “A lot of Canadians already knew that a lot of the products are made here and either worked or knew someone who works at our facilities.”
This strategy falls under what marketers call “glocalized branding,” said Markus Giesler, a marketing professor at the Schulich School of Business. The concept describes how global brands attempt to weave themselves into local cultural fabric. Examples include McDonald’s Canada highlighting its use of Canadian eggs, beef and potatoes, or Shake Shack partnering with Bellwoods Brewery to create an exclusive beer when the burger chain first opened in Toronto. Pepsi’s rival, Coca-Cola, released a “Quebec Maple” flavour in 2020, which can still be found on supermarket shelves today.
Giesler said international companies face the challenge of being recognizable household brands worldwide while also being perceived as part of local culture. There are successful examples of U.S. companies embraced by Canadian shoppers, including Costco, Amazon and Patagonia. On a personal note, while not American, Maggi sauce is another strong example of glocalization. It’s a common ingredient in Cantonese cooking, though it wasn’t until my 20s that I realized the condiment originated in Switzerland.
There are also textbook failures. Target’s brief expansion into Canada is often cited, with customers criticizing empty shelves, products poorly suited to Canadian consumers and the replacement of beloved department store Zellers. When Target retreated back to the U.S., it left many malls with a gaping hole. The retailer failed because it treated Canada like another American state, Giesler said, and consumers quickly noticed.
As for Pepsi’s maple cola, Giesler said it helps that the company can point to Canadian production and Canadian jobs. Still, he added, becoming truly beloved will require more than a limited-edition flavour.
“They’ll need more than a flavour or a maple leaf icon on a can,” he said. “They can be American, but they need prolonged interest in the Canadian culture and mindset. There is space for U.S. brands and we’re very welcoming of every culture, but only if the companies make an effort.”
