Capri-Sun (UK: /ˈkæpri/ KAP-ree, US: /kəˈpriː/ kə-PREE) is a brand of juice concentrate–based drinks manufactured by the German company Wild and regional licensees.

It has come to be sold in over 100 countries, with licensees including Kraft Foods in the United States (as Capri Sun)[b] and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in parts of Europe.

In the United States, these pouches predated the advent of Tetra Brik, in an era when fruit juice was usually sold in large containers.

The pouch design has stayed largely the same, but changes in some markets have included transparent bottoms and paper straws, while other container types have been introduced for some products.

In the United States, Kraft and its former parent company, the tobacco conglomerate Philip Morris Cos. (now[update] Altria), have successfully marketed Capri Sun using strategies developed for selling cigarettes to children.

[6] Restrictions on color additives at the time in West Germany led to less visually appealing soft drinks, incentivizing opaque packaging.

Citing a desire to be more "agile and responsive", in 2023 it announced an end to its agreement with CCEP (covering Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), with a gradual transition to begin in March 2024.

[1] In 1979, Shasta Beverages (then a part of Consolidated Foods) began to license the drink from Wild in the United States under the name Capri Sun.

[35] After two promising test runs in Buffalo, New York, and Atlanta, Georgia,[36] Shasta began a rolling expansion, starting with the Midwestern and Southeastern United States in 1980 and 1981.

[37] When Shasta introduced the product in the United States, its single-serving packaging was unusual in contrast with the 46-US-fluid-ounce (1.4 L) cans that dominated the fruit juice market.

The patented design, trademarked under the name Doy-N-Pack and exclusively licensed by Shasta from Wild, soon faced a competitor in aseptic "brick packaging" like Tetra Brik.

[56] Kraft's parent company, Philip Morris Cos. (later renamed Altria),[57] had been barred from marketing cigarettes to children, but had accrued significant experience in selling to young people before the ban was implemented.

[2][58] The campaign they created emphasized flashy colors and beach scenes, evoking a bright and fun-seeming "California cool"; later, they would switch to a sporty theme.

[59] By 2006, marketing techniques had gone online as well, including a website where children under the age of 13 could submit photos for a chance to win a vacation for their families[60] or send Capri Sun–themed greeting cards.

[70] In 2012, SDU Beverages of India agreed to produce Capri-Sun there, with distribution rights in Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

[71] In L'Étang-Salé on Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, Grand Sud Productions has operated a factory since 2004, which also distributes to Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, and Tahiti.

[73] Agthia Group began producing Capri-Sun in the United Arab Emirates in 2009, also selling to the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council, excluding Saudi Arabia.

[100] The same year, CCEP changed the composition of some of its Capri-Sun flavors to be compliant with the United Kingdom's new rules on food high in fat, salt, and sugar.

[83] In January 2007 a Florida woman, backed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, filed suit against Kraft for deceptive packaging, alleging that its usage of HFCS made its claimed "all-natural" status inaccurate.

Kraft announced a day later that they would cease labeling Capri Sun that way as part of a planned reformulation and repackaging, replacing the words with "no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives".

[101] Tesco, the largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, announced in 2015 that it would stop selling Capri-Sun pouches with added sugar, as part of an initiative that also affected competitors Ribena and Rubicon; The Guardian characterized the move as an unprecedented action against branded sugary drink suppliers.

[102] In January 2023, a class action was filed in the United States, disputing the "no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives" tagline in light of Capri Sun apple juice's incorporation of citric acid.

[115] Capri Sun GmbH has filed some lawsuits in the United States to defend its trademark on the pouch design, securing a $650,000 licensing fee from Faribault Foods in one case.

[128] A 2013 online poll from Foodwatch, a European consumer protection group, resulted in Capri-Sun receiving a "Golden Windbag" award for perceived deceptive advertising to children.

Only 3.1% of respondents who looked at the front packaging of Roarin' Waters correctly assessed that it contained no juice, and that number increased to a slight majority for those who viewed an information panel about the drink.

[100] Chad Eschman of VinePair reviewed Capri Sun flavors as they relate to creating mixers; reviews included positively rating the combination of gin and Pacific Cooler as tasting like a large white gummy bear and negatively rating the combination of tequila and Tropical Cooler as "we've made a huge mistake".

[79] A 2017 review of "your kids' lunch box favorites" by Brooke Jackson-Glidden and Cooper Green in the Statesman Journal noted the Capri Sun Strawberry Kiwi's 13 grams of sugar, praising its moderately sweet taste and small size.

"[77] Capri-Sun in Europe has sponsored a number of athletic endeavors, including holding naming rights to the cycling team previously known as IJsboerke in 1981 and 1982.

[146] As of 2023[update], the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to drink a Capri-Sun is held by Fayis Nazer of India, at 8.02 seconds.

[148] The record has changed hands multiple times; Guinness says it has received over 100 applications for the title since the video of a successful attempt by André Ortolf of Germany went viral.