The Maple Syrup Pepsi Was Basically Free Money

For those who like their corn syrup with extra corn syrup

News

By RC Staff

27 February 2023

Key Points

Just 4,000 cans made, these were only available through social media giveaway
Fans had just five days to enter to win
Some cans sold for nearly $200 at the peak. Later they could resell for around $50-$100

Item

Food & Beverages

IHOP Maple Syrup Pepsi

4,000 cans of this drink were released as a free promotional giveaway between the pancake house and soda brand.

IHOP and Pepsi teamed up for a limited-time cola, infusing the classic taste of Pepsi with maple syrup. While it seemed like a bit of a joke at first, Pepsi followed through, and created a giveaway through Twitter. For a short time, fans could enter to win their very own cans. The promotion gained significant attention, and after the cans shipped, winners found that people were willing to pay a premium for their very own maple syrup Pepsi.

Maple Syrup... Pepsi?

Have you ever sat down to enjoy a cold glass of cola, taken your first sip and come away disappointed? Maybe you thought it wasn’t sweet enough. Or maybe… syrupy enough. In any case, PepsiCo has already produced the perfect drink for you, a collaboration of cola and IHOP, which debuted in March of 2022. For five days following the announcement fans could enter to win, and 2,000 winners would go on to receive two cans each.

In an interesting turn, PepsiCo then announced that not only will the special flavor NOT be available at IHOP restaurants, but it will also not be available for retail in general. Therefore, if you weren’t one of the lucky 2,000, your chances of tasting this unholy mingling of maple and corn syrup are slim.

Did the Maple Syrup Pepsi resell?

Some winners saw their chance, and began listing cans for sale on eBay. The initial market was quite turbulent, with Buy-It-Now prices exceeding $1,000.

Most auctions never came anywhere near this amount, but early sales still secured anywhere from $100-$200 per can. Perfectly respectable considering they were completely free to winners of the initial giveaway. Since then, prices have cooled off, and unopened cans can be purchased for under $100.

Is Maple Syrup Pepsi Good? — This is the face of refreshment

However, like other limited production food and drinks, long-term holds can be a viable strategy. As everyone else gets bored and thirsty, the prices of these peculiar sodas may begin to rise again as more and more cans are opened. Unopened bottles of Original Crystal Pepsi can go for $250+. It’s entirely possible that the Maple Syrup cans can see a similar appreciation in the future.

Nothing bad has ever happened from drinking 20-year-old Pepsi though. Promise.