PURCHASE, N.Y., Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Pepsi
announces its plans to launch Kola House, the first experimental
kola bar, restaurant, lounge and event space to open in the U.S.
market. This first-of-its-kind hospitality venture is set to open
its doors in spring 2016, with its flagship location in
New York City's Meatpacking
District.
To launch the Flagship location, Pepsi partnered with Lisle
Richards and Eric Marx of well-known
hospitality group The Metric (behind the Gilded Lily, The Wayfarer
and more).
"We wanted to create a modern hub for consumers to share social
and immersive experiences that were anchored in the exploration of
our cola's artisanal craft and flavor," shared Seth Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo
North America Beverages. "The Kola House represents a new space for
us to support our consumer-first approach to drive authenticity and
innovation around our beverage offerings and ideals."
Kola House's experimental and elemental themes honoring the kola
nut will be brought to life through resident cocktail curator
Alex Ott. Ott's unrivaled background
in flavor chemistry and his superior knowledge of food and beverage
pairings and global palates make him the ideal mastermind behind
the development of Kola House's cocktails and elixirs. A full
artisanal menu from a rising resident executive chef will also
offer specialty plates inspired by the kola nut.
The flagship location will also serve as a transformative event
space for pop culture moments in music, art, style, film, sports
and more. Pepsi is leveraging its broad partnership with Live
Nation to help build out a special music series, Live at the
Kola House, which will serve as tent pole moments throughout
its year-long programming. Each of the intimate, stripped down
performances will bring fans up-close to the artists both visually
and acoustically for the once-in-a-lifetime shows.
"Through curating and producing the live music series for Pepsi,
guests at Kola House will enjoy distinctive engagements by
not-to-be-missed artists," said Darin
Wolf, Live Nation's Executive Vice President, Media &
Sponsorship.
To achieve the aesthetic, PepsiCo Design, led by Mauro Porcini,
leveraged the creativity of an internal team and partnered with
interior design firm, Kravitz Design Inc. "Kravitz Design worked
closely with the Pepsi team to create a space that brings the Kola
House vision to life as a multifaceted culinary and culturally
exciting experience." said Lenny
Kravitz, President of Kravitz Design Inc.
Kola House will also include a modular series at key events in
pop culture that will replicate the experience of the flagship
location, with local themes and ties woven into the food, beverage
and designs. The first of the modular locations will open as an
exclusive VIP space in San
Francisco during Super Bowl 50, at Pier 70 – a collaboration
between Pepsi and DIRECTV announced last month.
For more information and updates about Kola House, please visit
www.kolahouse.com.
About PepsiCo:
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a
day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
PepsiCo generated more than $66
billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary
food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio
includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including
22 brands that generate more than $1
billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal
to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating
sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance
with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages
from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize
our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs;
providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees
globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local
communities where we operate.
About The Metric:
The Metric is an innovative hospitality, nightlife, and
operations management group, founded by industry veterans
Eric Marx and Lisle Richards. The
Metric's success is derived from their ability to seamlessly blend
style, sophistication and quality service. This outlook has
garnered notoriety for their multifaceted venues, which speak to a
plethora of customers and will continue to do so within the
company's rapidly growing collection. Since inception their
impressive portfolio consists of New York
City restaurants The Wayfarer, Serafina, and The
Monarch Room along with Nightclubs Gilded Lily and LeGrande.
Additionally, they execute all in-room dining and catering for The
Quinn and Time Hotels in New York
City. The Metric will debut their newest venue, Kola House,
in collaboration with PepsiCo to introduce a brand new
dining and entertainment concept to the
marketplace.
About Kravitz Design, Inc.:
Kravitz Design, Inc. (KDI) was founded by Renaissance man and
legendary music icon Lenny
Kravitz. Focusing on residential, commercial, and
product design, the company's team encompasses a diverse group of
creative professionals that have executed a variety of projects
throughout the world. KDI touts a portfolio of noteworthy ventures
around the world, with a range that includes Paramount Bay a
47-story bay front condominium project in Miami, development of pop-up environments for
Pepsi's new Kola House hospitality brand in Milan and Dubai, luxury suites in Las Vegas and Miami
Beach for the SLS Hotel brand, a collection of ceramic tiles
for Lea Ceramiche and created a collection of sunglasses and
watches for the Brazilian brand Chilli Beans. Most recently KDI
undertook the creative vision for the re-launch of world renowned
Parisian nightclub L'Arc, designed a limited edition camera and
case for Leica called the "Correspondent" and launched a 20 piece
furniture collection with CB2.
www.kravitzdesign.com @kravitz_design.
About Live Nation Entertainment:
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world's leading
live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders:
Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media &
Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional
information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
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SOURCE PepsiCo