Britvic was a British producer of
soft drink
A soft drink (see #Terminology, § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) Carbonated water, carbonated, and typically including added Sweetness, sweetener. Flavors used to be Natural flav ...
s based in
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England. It is located north-west of London; nearby towns and cities include Watford, St Albans and Berkhamsted. The population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 cens ...
, England. It produced soft drinks under its own name, as well as several other brands. It was listed on the
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...
until it was acquired by
Carlsberg Group and integrated into Carlsberg's UK operations as part of
Carlsberg Britvic in January 2025.
History

The company was founded in the 1930s in
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...
as the ''British Vitamin Products Company''. It started producing fruit juices in 1938 and started marketing them under the ''Britvic'' name in 1949. Acquired by Showerings of
Shepton Mallet, and subsequently a division of
Allied Breweries from 1968, the company changed its name to ''Britvic'' in 1971. In 1986, it merged with ''Canada Dry Rawlings'' and acquired the
R. White's Lemonade brand. It acquired
Tango and the
Corona brand from
Beechams in 1987 and since that year it has also owned the UK franchise for
Pepsi
Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
and
7 Up. In 1995, it bought
Robinson's from
Reckitt & Colman.
In December 2005, the company underwent an
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...
(IPO), allowing its main shareholders (
InterContinental Hotels Group,
Whitbread,
Pernod Ricard) to realise their investments. In May 2007, the Company bought the soft drinks and distribution businesses of Ireland's
Cantrell & Cochrane (C&C) for £169.5m.
On 14 November 2012, the company announced plans to merge with
Scottish soft drink producer
A.G. Barr, the maker of brands including
Irn-Bru,
Tizer and
D'n'B, which would have created one of Europe's largest soft drinks companies. The merger was put into serious doubt after the
Office of Fair Trading referred it to the
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator under t ...
. On 11 July 2013, A.G. Barr chairman, Ronnie Hanna, announced that the proposed merger had been abandoned.
In May 2017,
PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...
announced that it had decided to sell its long-held 4.5 per cent stake in Britvic.
On 8 July 2024, it was announced that the Danish
Carlsberg Group would buy Britvic. Upon completion, Britvic will rebrand under the Carlsberg umbrella, with the brewery company becoming the biggest PepsiCo drink licenser in the world. The transaction was approved by the court on 15 January 2025, so allowing it to complete.
Britvic was incorporated into Carlsberg's existing UK business Carlsberg Marston's, and the whole business was renamed Carlsberg Britvic on 17 January 2025.
Operations
Most of the company's operations are concentrated in the United Kingdom and
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and the company exports to over 50 countries. Its corporate headquarters moved from Chelmsford, Essex to Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in March 2012.
United Kingdom
The drink brands the company owns in the UK include Britvic mixers, R. White's Lemonade,
Tango, Robinson's and
J2O – as well as being the licensed bottler for PepsiCo products within the UK. In 2008, Britvic launched
Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...
in the UK, after securing the rights to do so from
PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...
. In May 2010, Britvic launched a UK specific version of the popular drink,
Mountain Dew Energy. It tastes similar to its American counterpart, but has a lower caffeine and sugar content.
Ireland
After their failed IPO
C&C's sold their soft drink brands to Britvic, resulting in the company now owning a number of brands in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, including,
Ballygowan Water, Britvic,
Cidona,
MiWadi, and Energise Sport as well as the rights to the Pepsi and 7 Up brands in the territory through its bottling agreements with PepsiCo.
France
Britvic bought
Fruité Entreprises in May 2010 for £298 million. It has since renamed the business Britvic France. It is mainly a fruit juice business, unlike the GB&I businesses that focus on soft drinks.
Brazil
In 2015, Britvic acquired ebba (Empresa Brasileira de Bebidas e Alimentos SA), located in
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, and in 2017 Bela Ischia, located in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
.
Current brands
Current brands are as follows:
[
Dilutes
* Robinsons
* BritviC
* MiWadi (Ireland)
* Ebba (Brazil)
* Dafruta (Brazil)
* Maguary (Brazil)
Water
* Aqua Libra
* Arto LifeWTR
* Ballygowan
* Drench
Carbonated soft drinks
* Tango
* Club (Ireland)
* Purdey's
* Britvic 55
* London Essence Company
* R. White's Lemonade
* TK (Taylor Keith) Lemonade (Republic of Ireland)
* C&C Lemonade (Northern Ireland)
* Energise (Ireland)
* Cidona
Other
* Bela Ischia (Brazil)
* Energise Sport (Ireland)
* Amé
* J2O
* J2O Spritz
* Fruité (France)
* Maguary (Brazil)
* Maguary Fruit Shoot (Brazil)
* Moulin De Valdonne (France)
* Natural Tea (Brazil)
* Pressade (France)
* Puro Coco (Brazil)
* Robinsons Fruit Shoot
* Robinsons Fruit Shoot Hydro
* Robinsons Fruit Shoot Juiced
* Robinsons Refresh’d
* Robinsons Fruit Creations
* Robinsons Squash’d
* Teisseire (France)
* Teisseire Fruit Shoot (France)
* Teisseire Fruit Shoot Au Jus (France)
Licensed from PepsiCo
* 7 UP
* ]Pepsi
Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
* Lipton Ice Tea
* Sobe V Water
* Mountain Dew Energy
* Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...
(Great Britain)
* Rockstar Energy
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
British brands
British royal warrant holders
Companies based in Chelmsford
Companies based in Hemel Hempstead
Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange
Drink companies of the United Kingdom
Gatorade
PepsiCo bottlers
Soft drinks manufacturers
Tango (drink)
Whitbread former divisions and subsidiaries