The soft drink category has spent years absorbing disruption from the margins. Health-conscious consumers have been pulling away from conventional carbonated drinks for more than a decade, creating enough space for a new generation of better-for-you brands to build real shelf presence. Prebiotic sodas, functional waters, and low-sugar alternatives moved from fringe to mainstream in the United States and Western Europe faster than most incumbents anticipated.
The same shift is working through the United Kingdom and Ireland, where wellness-led beverage brands have accumulated both retail partnerships and consumer credibility. That ground had been prepared long before Katie Taylor agreed to put her name to anything.
The conversation between Taylor and Irish wellness company SiSú stretched back several years. Taylor had been following SiSú with genuine interest well before any formal commercial discussion took place, according to the company’s launch statement. When the two parties turned serious about a year ago, according to the Irish Times, the agreement was structured as a co-creation rather than an endorsement.
Taylor wanted a soda she would actually drink without compromising her training regimen. SiSú, which had already built its name on kombucha, cold-pressed juices, plant-based milks, and functional shots, had a clear commercial gap to fill. Fizzique Drinks Ltd was formally incorporated at Ireland’s Companies Registration Office in January 2026, with Taylor listed as a shareholder and Aisling McGann and Brian McGann as directors.
The product launched publicly in Dublin on 28 April 2026. Fizzique is a carbonated soft drink positioned as a better-for-you alternative to conventional soda. It is available in four flavours: Zest Lemon and Ginger, Passionfruit and Yuzu, Watermelon Lime and Mint, and Blood Orange and Mango. The drink is high in fibre, infused with magnesium and Vitamin D, made with juices and natural flavourings, low in sugar, low in calories, and free from artificial sweeteners. SiSú describes Fizzique as a next-generation soda, not a sports drink or a supplement.
“I happen to love fizzy drinks but I can’t afford to be putting junk into my body. So the next level of ambition is to make soda that’s not bad for you, and the next level after that is to make it genuinely good for you.” Katie Taylor, co-creator and shareholder, Fizzique Drinks Ltd
“Just like we changed minds about women and boxing, with Fizzique we’re going to change minds about soda and health. It’s a game-changer, it’s ambitious and I love it.” Katie Taylor, co-creator and shareholder, Fizzique Drinks Ltd
Fizzique enters a category under visible pressure from both ends. Established carbonated soft drink brands are absorbing sustained health criticism while simultaneously fighting back with functional line extensions. PepsiCo acquired prebiotic soda brand Poppi and developed its own prebiotic cola variant. Coca-Cola and Keurig Dr Pepper have each accelerated zero-sugar and wellness-adjacent launches. According to a Beverage Marketing Corporation analysis cited by TheStreet in February 2026, the US carbonated soft drink market reached $82.7 billion in value in 2025, with volume stabilising after years of decline. The broader recovery is being driven partly by exactly the kind of health-led repositioning that Fizzique represents. SiSú’s track record within this space is genuine: the company has won twelve Great Taste Awards across its portfolio, giving Fizzique a credible parent brand rather than a blank-slate startup.
For a challenger brand, the stakes are particular. Celebrity-backed drinks launches have a documented history of early attention followed by distribution and retention challenges. Fizzique’s founders have structured this differently, at least in form. Taylor is a shareholder with equity exposure rather than a fee-earning ambassador. The functional profile, including magnesium, Vitamin D, fibre, and no artificial sweeteners, gives the product a nutritional proposition that can be tested independently of Taylor’s profile. The target market sits at the intersection of the sports-conscious consumer and the everyday soft drink buyer, a gap that several brands have attempted to occupy with mixed results. Distribution is the variable that will determine whether the launch stays a domestic story or scales toward the international ambition both parties have stated. Taylor has made clear that global reach is part of the plan, not a subsequent aspiration.
SiSú and Taylor have confirmed plans to take Fizzique international, with the brand’s positioning built around a global consumer trend rather than a local cultural preference. Retailers in Ireland are the immediate proving ground. Whether the product can build sufficient velocity there to attract distribution partners in the United Kingdom and further international markets will depend on repeat purchase rates, not launch coverage. The better-for-you soda segment has enough established players that Fizzique will need to hold its own on flavour first. As our coverage of how health and youthful demand are reshaping Africa’s beverage industry has shown, the functional drink shift is a global structural move, not a Western market quirk. For brands that get the balance right between taste and wellness credentials, the opportunity is substantial. For those that do not, the shelf space will not last long.
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