Tea brand Pure Leaf is entering the functional beverage space with its first sparkling beverage designed to boost focus, which is an untapped opportunity in the crowded wellness market, according to an executive.
Mental Focus is a sparkling, brewed, iced tea that contains naturally occurring caffeine from black tea and added L-theanine, an amino acid from tea leaves meant to improve focus. As consumers are increasingly seeking out physical and mental benefits from beverages, the move into functional beverages was a natural extension for the brand, Zach Harris, general manager of the Pepsi Lipton Partnership in North America said in an interview.
“Function is really an extension of what the brand already stands for, it’s not a shift away from it,” Harris said in an interview.
Highly caffeinated energy drinks make up a significant share of the functional beverage market, but Pure Leaf Mental Focus wants to capitalize on a consumer shift away from extreme energy. Mental Focus caps its caffeine content at 69 milligrams, which Harris said helps the offering stand out — especially in the energy and cognitive function space.
The drink wants to position itself for more everyday use, and consumers’ growing interest in ingredients that they understand and recognize, Harris said. Mental Focus also wants to tap into “soft wellness” culture, where consumers look for low-effort ways to feel better in convenient, on-the-go options, Harris said.
“A lot of these functional beverages are really focused on energy and performance, high caffeine intensity, and we found this white space that's a little bit more balanced, a little bit more approachable,” Harris said.
In addition to being the brand’s first functional beverage, Mental Focus is also Pure Leaf’s first sparkling offering. The beverage comes in peach and raspberry flavors. It has zero grams of sugar and no calories.
Pure Leaf has a tea-forward brand identity, Harris said, which is why using L-theanine and naturally occurring caffeine from tea was so critical. Pure Leaf’s brand being centered on simple ingredients gives it “permission to explore functional benefits rooted in tea, because Pure Leaf is rooted in tea,” Harris said.
“[We] really can leverage Pure Leaf’s existing strengths while layering in these functional benefits so it’s accessible, it’s authentic to the brand,” Harris said.
The Pepsi Lipton Tea partnership is a joint venture between PepsiCo and Unilever, which, in addition to Pure Leaf, owns Lipton Iced Tea and Brisk Iced Tea. In 2024, the venture launched a zero sugar sweet tea for the Pure Leaf brand.
