Listen, very few things can take the place of my love of Diet Mountain Dew. It's my caffeinated beverage of choice. I don't do coffee in the morning, so I usually grab a Diet Dew. But several years ago Mountain Dew introduced a brand of energy drinks called Kickstart. Flavors included orange, black cherry, fruit punch, and a Mountain Dew flavor. But in 2016 they introduced a new flavor and even gave it a commercial during Super Bowl 50.

O.K., the puppy monkey baby creature in the commercial was a bit much. But the first time I tasted that grape-flavored drink I was hooked! It quickly became part of my beverage rotation. Did it replace my Diet Dew? No, but I'd say that at one point I averaged two per week. Then, the pandemic hit. Supply chain issues became the norm. And suddenly my beloved puppy monkey baby was no longer in stores!

Then, this morning, I got a message from a listener who works over at the distribution center for Pepsi in Cedar Rapids. His message said, "Tell Brain it's finally back." He included this image.

Brian Truesdell
Brian Truesdell
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Cases of my beloved Kickstart ready to be shipped back to retail stores! I asked this person why the beverage disappeared in the first place. He stated that it was a supplier issue and certain ingredients were hard to find. Apparently, the issues have been resolved and one of my favorite beverages will soon be back in stores. Until I by them out.

 

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