While the nation's bestselling beverages remained No. 1 Coca-Cola, No. 2 Diet Coke and No. 3 Pepsi, volume for the carbonated drinks segment was down 1 percent in 2011, according to Beverage Digest's annual look at the industry's performance.
Non-carbonated drinks, however, saw strong growth. Energy drink companies Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar saw double-digit increases last year while sales volume for "mega brands" such as Gatorade, a Pepsi product, and Arizona, a tea, were up 8 percent and 9.3 percent respectively, Beverage Digest reported. Dasani, one of Atlanta-based Coke's water lines, grew 11 percent.
A separate industry study by Beverage Marketing Corporation had similar findings, adding that coffee grew 9.4 percent.When all products are combined -- soft drinks, water, teas, etc., -- volume in 2011 was up 0.8 percent compared to 2010.