User:Vchimpanzee/Volt (soft drink)

Volt is a carbonated soft drink and energy drink sold by High Voltage Beverages and distributed by Royal Crown Bottling Company in western North Carolina. It is a citrus soda intended to compete with Mountain Dew, which has 80 percent of the citrus soda market, according to John Sicher of Beverage Digest. Volt has 30 percent more caffeine than its competitor, plus guarana, ginseng, and taurine.

Like Mountain Dew, it has a yellow color and is sold in green bottles. The original flavor is also available in a diet version, and in March 2009, fruit punch, tropical mango and pineapple flavors were added.

Asheville, North Carolina is the test market for Volt. 250 convenience stores in western North Carolina sell the drink. Also, during 2008 and 2009 the drink has been tested in New York City, New Jersey and Florida. Harrison Krouse of Royal Crown Bottling says the strategy is to go after young people who consider the traditional drink as "old" and "uncool," and who view large corporations as negative but would prefer to support a small business. Krouse agreed to distribute the brand, despite its status as untested, because he admired High Voltage Beverages for going after a major company such as Pepsi.

Marketing has been done through Facebook, MySpace, and giving outsamples on the street. Another strategy, according to High Voltage president Bill Sipper, was to send cases of Volt to John McCain because the presidential candidate appeared to have less energy than Barack Obama.

Sipper predicted Volt would make a profit by 2012, and he said it could overtake Mountain Dew in a few years.