Honestly, if you grew up wandering the aisles of a health food store in the 90s or early 2000s, you probably remember those tall, skinny cans with the hand-drawn clouds. Blue Sky Beverage Company was everywhere. It was the "cool" alternative to the big corporate sodas, long before every brand started claiming they were natural. It felt different. It tasted different. But if you've tried to find a Blue Sky Black Cherry or Ginger Ale lately, you've probably noticed something: they’ve basically vanished from most shelves.
It isn't just bad luck. The story of Blue Sky is a classic case study in what happens when a scrappy, Santa Fe-born startup gets swallowed by the massive machinery of global beverage giants. It’s a tale of corporate acquisitions, changing health trends, and a brand that perhaps got a little too quiet while the rest of the craft soda world got very, very loud.
The Santa Fe Roots of Blue Sky Beverage Company
Blue Sky started way back in 1980. Think about that for a second. In 1980, "natural soda" wasn't even a category; it was a niche within a niche. They launched in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the whole vibe of the brand reflected that high-desert, "free spirit" energy. They weren't using high-fructose corn syrup when everyone else was. They were sweetening with cane sugar or fruit juice.
People loved it because it felt authentic. It was the soda you bought at the local co-op alongside your bulk granola. By the time the 90s rolled around, Blue Sky Beverage Company had expanded its lineup to include everything from Ginseng Soda to tea and even energy drinks. They were pioneers. They were doing the "clean label" thing decades before it became a marketing buzzword.
Then came the money.
The Acquisition Rollercoaster
In 2000, Hansen Natural Corporation—the company we now know as Monster Beverage—bought Blue Sky. For a while, this seemed like a win. Distribution widened. You could suddenly find Blue Sky in places that didn't smell like incense and wheatgrass. But the biggest shift happened in 2015. In a massive, multi-billion dollar deal, The Coca-Cola Company and Monster Beverage Corporation swapped brands. Monster took Coke's energy drinks, and Coke took Monster's "non-energy" brands.
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Blue Sky Beverage Company was part of that package deal.
Suddenly, the little soda company from Santa Fe was sitting in the same portfolio as Sprite and Fanta. On paper, this should have been the moment Blue Sky went global. In reality, it was the beginning of the end for their dominant shelf space. Coca-Cola already had its hands full with its own sparkling water brands and "healthy" pivots like Honest Tea. Blue Sky started to feel like the neglected middle child.
Why You Can't Find It Anymore
It's frustrating. You go to the store, and where the Blue Sky used to be, there are now 50 different types of flavored seltzer. The beverage market shifted beneath their feet. While Blue Sky was a "healthier" soda, it was still soda. It had sugar.
As the world moved toward zero-calorie sparkling waters like LaCroix or "functional" sodas like Olipop and Poppi, Blue Sky’s middle-ground position—natural but still sugary—started to lose its luster. Coke didn't seem interested in fighting for that specific territory.
- Portfolio Streamlining: Coca-Cola has been notorious lately for "killing their darlings." They axed Tab. They axed Odwalla. They even killed Honest Tea (though the founders launched Eat the Change/Just Ice Tea in response). Blue Sky was simply another "zombie brand" that didn't meet the massive scale requirements for a Coke-owned product.
- The Rise of Seltzer: The explosion of the sparkling water category cannibalized the natural soda market. People who used to want a "natural ginger ale" now just want a lime-flavored seltzer with zero calories.
- Distribution Gaps: When a brand moves from a specialized distributor to a massive one like Coke, it has to compete for space on the truck. If a grocery store manager has to choose between stocking more Diet Coke or a niche brand like Blue Sky, they’re picking the Diet Coke every time.
Is Blue Sky Soda Still Around in 2026?
The short answer? Yes, but it’s a ghost of its former self.
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You can still find it on Amazon or at specific regional grocers, but the variety has plummeted. The days of finding the weird, experimental flavors are mostly gone. The brand "Blue Sky" still exists under the Coca-Cola umbrella, but it isn't a priority. They’ve mostly leaned into the "Blue Sky Zero" line, trying to compete in the stevia-sweetened market, but even there, they’re being outpaced by brands like Zevia.
It's a bummer. There was something about that original Blue Sky Cane Sugar soda that hit different. It wasn't trying to be a "wellness tonic" or a "prebiotic soda." It was just a better-made soda.
The Ingredients Debate
One thing that people always got wrong about Blue Sky Beverage Company was that it was "healthy." Let's be real—it’s soda. While using cane sugar is arguably better than high-fructose corn syrup from a taste and processing perspective, your body still treats it as sugar.
However, Blue Sky did lead the way in avoiding:
- Artificial colors (no Red 40 or Yellow 5 here)
- Phosphoric acid
- Artificial preservatives like sodium benzoate
That was their edge. They used things like citric acid and natural extracts. It was "cleaner," but it wasn't health food. That nuance is often lost in the nostalgia for the brand.
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How to Get Your Fix (Or Move On)
If you're desperate for that specific Blue Sky flavor, your best bet is looking at specialty online retailers or "old school" health food stores that haven't been fully corporatized. But honestly, the market has moved on, and you might have to as well.
If you loved Blue Sky for the natural sweetness, look at brands like Maine Root or Boylan Heritage. They use real cane sugar and have that same "independent" spirit that Blue Sky used to have.
If you loved it for the clean ingredients but want less sugar, the "functional soda" movement is where you should look. Brands like Olipop or Poppi are filling the gap that Blue Sky left behind, adding fiber and using much less sugar while keeping the "fun" soda experience.
The Legacy of a Pioneer
We shouldn't forget what Blue Sky Beverage Company did for the industry. They proved that people actually cared about what was in their soda cans. They paved the way for the "natural" section of the grocery store to even exist.
Before Blue Sky, your options were basically "Coke" or "Store Brand Coke." They gave us a third option. Even if the brand is currently fading into the background of a corporate portfolio, its influence is everywhere. Every time you see a "No Artificial Colors" label on a beverage, you're seeing the DNA of what Blue Sky started in Santa Fe forty-five years ago.
Actionable Steps for the Natural Soda Fan
If you're missing that specific Blue Sky vibe, here is how you can still navigate the modern beverage landscape:
- Check the "Zevia" shelf: If you liked Blue Sky's zero-calorie versions, Zevia is the closest spiritual successor with much wider availability.
- Search for "Cane Sugar" specifically: If you're a purist, look for brands that explicitly state they use 100% cane sugar. Many regional brands like Hansen's (now also under Coke) or Reed's still maintain this standard.
- Support the locals: The "craft soda" scene is mirroring the craft beer scene. Small, local bottling companies are where the real innovation is happening now—not in the giant corporate portfolios.
- Read the labels: Don't assume "Natural" means "Healthy." Always look at the grams of added sugar. Even a natural soda is a treat, not a hydration strategy.
The era of Blue Sky Beverage Company being the king of the natural aisle might be over, but the movement they started is bigger than ever. You just have to know where to look.