For years, PepsiCo has asked consumers to “Do the Dew,” but is it now asking them to “Do the Dirty?”
PepsiCo is launching its Mountain Dew brand into the red-hot dirty soda market with the launch of Dirty Mountain Dew and Dirty Mountain Dew Zero. The company says the soft drinks feature “the classic bold citrus taste of Mountain Dew leveled up with a smooth, creamy twist.”
And they aren’t limited-time offers – the new offerings will join the brand’s regular stable of flavor offerings, including Voltage, Livewire, and Code Red.
“Dirty Mountain Dew takes our iconic citrus flavor and makes it bold and refreshing in a whole new way – a bold, creamy ready-to-drink experience that’s exactly what Dew fans have been waiting for,” said Michael Smith, VP of Marketing for Mountain Dew, PepsiCo Beverages U.S., in a press release.
The launch takes place amid a bifurcating soda market. According to Circana data, regular soft drinks saw a 3.7% volume decline in the latest 52-week period ending March 22, 2026; during that period, low-calorie soft drinks saw a volume increase of 6.8% and sugar/calorie reduced soft drinks saw a 7.8% rise.
Leveraging the Popularity of Baja Blast
Once an exclusive to Taco Bell locations, Mountain Dew Baja Blast has since been launched in the CPG sphere. First available only during summers starting in 2018 before transitioning into a mainstay offering in 2024, PepsiCo has worked to develop Baja as a sub-brand for Mountain Dew.
The Baja line currently features Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus available via grocery, convenience, and other retail channels, and at Taco Bell one can order a Mountain Dew Baja Midnight (another dirty soda). Previous LTOs have leveraged flavors including guava, lemonade, mango, and more.
PepsiCo believes in the product enough to make a large brand bet: the company struck a deal with Major League Baseball making Mountain Dew Baja Blast the official soft drink of the 2026 season. Fans can pair that with one of the other crazy meals you can find at stadiums this year.
A Mainstay in the Energy Market
Although most sodas have caffeine, the energy drinks market brings that buzz to an entirely different level.
And although PepsiCo has prioritized Rockstar and Celsius as its major energy brands in the current day, the Mountain Dew branding is still attached to some of its energy offerings, including Mountain Dew Amp which first launched in 2001.
The company’s Mountain Dew Kickstart line is available in four flavors, according to the company’s website. Brand packaging shows that the products include fruit juice from concentrate, electrolytes, and caffeine, making the product a hybrid in the energy and functional beverages markets.
The Food Institute Podcast
This Episode is Sponsored by: City National Bank
John Linehan, president of Irresistible Foods Group, explains how organizational charts are being supplanted in the Capability Era and how a new vision of leadership is growing within the food and beverage industry in this episode guest hosted by City National Bank’s Shahe Kassardjian.
