Satchel’s Pizza has officially canned Pepsi products in favor of homemade colas.
Tuesday marked the debut of Satchel’s new sodas.
The popular Gainesville pizzeria will feature six flavors regularly, with one rotating every few months.
The options are Lola Cola; Steve Z Cal, a zero-calorie, stevia-sweetened soda; Ruby Root Beer; Ginnie Ginger Ale; Lennie Lemon Lime; and lemonade. The rotating flavor is Satch Sour, a probiotic, kombucha-brewed tea beverage.
Satchel Raye, owner of Satchel’s, said the idea of making his own soda had been bubbling in his head since 2005, but he wanted to make sure the restaurant was secure before he moved on to other projects.
“I don’t think Coke and Pepsi are the best experience,” he said. “I think it’s what people are used to, but I don’t think that it’s necessarily the best. I think soda can be so much better.”
He said he wants his drinks to help people change their relationship with soda.
The new beverages are meant to be enjoyed in moderation, Raye added.
“In a way, it becomes more of an experience and less of a habit once you realize that it can be better for you and taste better,” he said.
David Rodriguez, a 22-year-old UF mechanical engineering senior, said he would be interested in trying Satchel’s original drinks.
“Everyone seems to have Coke or Pepsi products. It would be interesting to try something new,” he said. “It seems like they’re made right, unlike the corn syrup-sweetened drinks.”
Raye said for now, his sodas still need more tweaking. He’s recruited his family and friends to help in the taste-testing process.
“Our sodas are going to get better over the next few months,” he said. “I feel like what we have now is not what we’re going to have in three months.”
Satchel Raye, owner of Satchel’s Pizza, prepares a zero-calorie, stevia-sweetened drink, Stevie Z Cal, on Wednesday afternoon.
