If you’ve walked down the soda aisle lately and felt like something was missing, you aren't crazy. That familiar green and white mountain-themed can is gone. Sierra Mist, a staple of the lemon-lime world for over twenty years, has been wiped from the map. It’s been replaced by a bright, neon-yellow newcomer called Starry.
Honestly, the switch caught a lot of people off guard. One day you're grabbing a 12-pack for a backyard BBQ, and the next, you’re staring at a brand that looks like it belongs in a neon-soaked arcade from the future.
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The short answer is yes: Starry did replace Sierra Mist. It wasn't just a limited-edition run or a side-project. PepsiCo officially discontinued Sierra Mist in January 2023 to make room for Starry as their flagship lemon-lime soda. But why kill off a brand that had $1 billion in annual sales? The logic behind the scenes is actually a mix of cold business math and a desperate attempt to finally take a swing at Sprite.
The Death of Sierra Mist: A Billion-Dollar Failure?
It sounds weird to call a billion-dollar brand a failure. Most companies would kill for those numbers. However, in the world of big soda, everything is relative. While Sierra Mist was pulling in that billion, Coca-Cola’s Sprite was doing five times that.
Sierra Mist was basically stuck in third place forever. It couldn't even consistently beat out 7-Up, which is a tough spot to be in when you have the massive Pepsi marketing machine behind you. By the end of 2022, Sierra Mist’s market share had cratered to about 0.1%. To put that in perspective, Sprite was sitting pretty at around 7%.
PepsiCo realized that Sierra Mist had a "brand problem." Younger drinkers—Gen Z, specifically—saw the brand as something their parents drank. It felt dated. The imagery of misty mountains and crisp streams didn't scream "modern refreshment" to a generation raised on TikTok and high-energy aesthetics.
The Never-Ending Rebrands
Pepsi actually tried to save Sierra Mist several times before finally pulling the plug. They were constantly tweaking the formula and the name. You might remember "Mist Twst" back in 2016? That was a disaster. They added high-fructose corn syrup back in, people hated the name, and they reverted to Sierra Mist just two years later.
Then they tried the "Natural" angle. They used real sugar (sucrose) and advertised it as a cleaner alternative. Then they tried Stevia. That also flopped because Stevia has that weird aftertaste that a lot of people can't stand.
Basically, the brand was a mess of identity crises.
Enter Starry: Why the Change Actually Happened
When Starry launched, PepsiCo didn't just want a new label. They wanted a complete reboot. They needed something that could actually compete with "McDonald’s Sprite"—that legendary, crisp, almost-painfully-carbonated experience people rave about.
The "Gen Z" Strategy
The branding for Starry is loud. It uses the slogan "Starry Hits Different," which is about as Gen Z-coded as you can get. PepsiCo's Chief Marketing Officer, Greg Lyons, was pretty blunt about it: they wanted a "purpose-driven brand" for the "new generation of irreverent optimists."
Basically, they traded the mountain vibes for "cosmic" vibes.
Is It the Same Recipe? (The Real Tea)
A lot of people think Starry is just Sierra Mist in a different can. It’s not. There are two major differences that change the entire flavor profile:
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- The Sweetener: Sierra Mist was known (and loved by some) for using real cane sugar in its final years. Starry went back to high-fructose corn syrup. This was likely a cost-saving move, but it also changes the mouthfeel.
- The Citrus Punch: Starry has a much higher concentration of citric acid and aromatic oils. It’s designed to be "sharper" and "crisper."
If you do a side-by-side taste test—if you can even find a dusty can of Sierra Mist at a corner store anymore—you’ll notice Starry is way more aggressive. It’s trying to mimic the "bite" that Sprite has, whereas Sierra Mist was always a bit smoother and more mellow.
The Viral Lawsuit Conspiracy
You might have seen a rumor floating around TikTok involving a creator named Cierra Mistt. The story goes that PepsiCo sued her over her name and lost, and then had to rebrand the soda because they no longer owned the trademark.
It’s a great story. It's also mostly a misunderstanding of how corporate law works.
While it’s true that there was a legal back-and-forth and a cease-and-desist situation involving the creator, PepsiCo didn't lose the rights to the name "Sierra Mist" because of a TikToker. They chose to abandon the brand because it was losing money. However, the legal headache certainly didn't help the brand's image, and some analysts think the PR noise around the name conflict just made it easier for Pepsi to justify the "clean slate" approach with Starry.
How Is Starry Doing Now?
It's been a few years since the switch, and the data is starting to tell a story.
Initially, there was a lot of "Starry backlash." People on Reddit and Twitter were mourning the loss of the real-sugar soda. Bartenders, in particular, weren't happy. Many felt that Sierra Mist worked better as a mixer because it wasn't as overwhelmingly sweet or artificial-tasting as Starry.
But for the general public? It seems to be working.
Starry has seen a much higher level of engagement from younger demographics than Sierra Mist ever did. You see it at NBA games, in huge Coachella activations, and all over social media. PepsiCo’s lemon-lime sales have actually seen a slight uptick compared to the stagnant years of Sierra Mist. They haven't dethroned Sprite—not even close—but they’re no longer "invisible" in the category.
What happened to the old Sierra Mist?
If you're looking for it, you're mostly out of luck. It's officially discontinued. You might find some "New Old Stock" on eBay or at a very disorganized gas station in the middle of nowhere, but the production lines stopped in early 2023.
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What You Should Do If You Miss Sierra Mist
If you were a die-hard fan of the real-sugar taste of Sierra Mist, Starry is probably going to disappoint you. It’s just... different. It’s more of a Sprite clone than a Sierra Mist successor.
Here is what you can do to get that fix:
- Try 7-Up: It’s the closest thing left on the market that maintains that slightly more "natural" citrus profile without being as "sharp" as Starry or Sprite.
- Look for "Mexican Sprite": Since Starry uses corn syrup, if you miss the cane sugar taste, you’ll have to hunt for imported sodas that still use real sugar.
- Check the Zero Sugar version: Surprisingly, many people find that Starry Zero Sugar is actually better than the regular version. It has a very clean finish that some say is closer to the original Sierra Mist Zero.
The reality is that Starry is here to stay. PepsiCo has put too much money into the branding to turn back now. It’s a classic case of a corporation deciding that "familiar" isn't as good as "fresh," even if it means alienating some long-time fans along the way.
Next time you’re at the fountain at Taco Bell, just remember: it’s the same company, but it's definitely a different drink. Give it a shot with an open mind—you might find that the "bite" is actually what the old version was missing. Or you'll just join the thousands of people online still asking for the mountain back.
The takeaway: Starry didn't just replace the name; it replaced the philosophy of Pepsi's lemon-lime strategy. It's a louder, sweeter, and more aggressive competitor designed for a world that has moved past the "misty mountain" vibes of the early 2000s.