Producers of juice Kevian Kenya Limited has added a carbonated soft drink to their lineup, aimed at middle-class and lower-class consumers.

The manufacturer, best known for its fruit juice brands "Afia" and "pick N peel," said that the Klub 101 product will close a gap in the market and increase its sources of income.

"Kevian Kenya Limited is happy to announce that, in response to market gaps in the industry, we have added Klub 101 lemonade carbonated soft drink to our lineup of products. In an interview conducted on the fringes of the Afmass Food and Beverage Show East Africa, which was held in Nairobi, Kevian owner and managing director Kimani Rugendo stated, "The new product also seeks to respond to consumer consumption taste and preferences and we are happy for the feedback we have received from the market so far.

According to him, the new product will bring 600 employment to the production and distribution teams.

Kevian Kenya Limited made a major investment in non-alcoholic malt drinks, such as plain, Energy, Lemon, and Orange malt and declared a few years ago that it was investing Sh3 billion for plant and brand expansion with an eye towards regional markets and airlines.

According to Mr. Rugendo, the cash originated from German Financier DEG, one of the organisations that has previously provided support to Kevian Kenya.

Mr. Rugendo has been stating that strong competition is beneficial for company growth and fairness and that Kevian Kenya Limited is entering the industry that has long been dominated by Coca-Cola and East African Breweries.

In 1992, Mr. Rugendo left politics to work in the juice and water industry. He has welcomed diversification ever since.

Soft drink manufacturers, however, have encouraged Parliament to thwart a plan in the Finance Bill 2024 to put a 10 percent tax on locally created plastics, citing concerns that it would result in high operating expenses, despite the fact that the soft drink market is still expanding.