Pepsi launching dispenser with 1,000 drink combinations

Pepsi fans hankering to mix and match the soft drink giant’s products in the same way they do with Coca-Cola’s Freestyle machine will soon get their wish.

New York-based Pepsi is set to debut this week Pepsi Spire, a drink dispenser that allows consumers to mix lemon Mountain Dew with strawberry Diet Pepsi and Brisk Iced Tea. The company says the dispenser, which will come with 10-inch, 15-inch and 32-inch touchscreens, will provide as many as 1,000 drink combinations.

Pepsi’s entry comes five years after Coca-Cola launched its Freestyle fountain machine, which many restaurant operators credited with helping them grow double-digits sales. Freestyle dispenses combinations of more than 120 brands from Atlanta-based Coke, including Coke Zero, Fanta, Pibb and Dasani.