LAS VEGAS / The energy drink giants are coming for the pouch aisle. At the NACS Show in Las Vegas, Rockstar and C4 both previewed nicotine-free caffeine pouches for convenience store shelves.
Rockstar’s Energy Pouches pack 100 mg of caffeine with theanine and taurine, 15 to a puck, in Mint Freeze and Fruit Punch Freeze. They’re expected in 2027, and Rockstar says more is planned for next year. C4’s pouch is also 100 mg, half the caffeine in a 16 oz can of C4 Energy, in a 15-count Strawberry Blast tin aimed at the first quarter of 2027. Bucked Up got there first: its PWR Buck pouches (50 mg caffeine, 20 per tin) launched in June.
Why it matters
These brands already own the energy drink cooler in nearly every gas station. If their pouches land on the counter next to Zyn, nicotine-free pouches go from a niche online buy to an impulse buy. That’s a big test for the startups that built the category.
What’s next
Watch for prices and store rollouts in early 2027. We’ll review both as soon as they’re on shelves.