Torani has spent more than a century shaping how consumers customize beverages, from introducing the Italian soda to the U.S. in the 1920s to creating the world’s first flavored latte in the 1980s. Now, the flavor company at the center of the dirty soda boom says personalized drinks are reshaping beverage culture in a major way. These soft drinks, enhanced with flavored syrups, creamers, and other add-ins, have become a new canvas for self-expression and personalization, according to new research from the category-leading brand.
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From national beverage chains and major fast-food restaurants to home kitchens across the country, consumers are increasingly turning beverages into highly individualized flavor experiences. Torani products are used to flavor over 1 billion beverages each year from cafes and drink shops nationwide and are stocked in more than 9 million U.S. households, giving the company a unique view into the rapid rise of drink personalization.
“For many consumers, the beverage experience has shifted from simply ordering drinks to building their own,” said Andrea Ramirez, senior consumer and customer market insight manager at Torani. “Dirty soda reflects a broader cultural move toward drinks that feel personal, creative, and made for the moment.”
From Emerging Trend to Mainstream Culture
What began as a niche regional beverage fad has become a nationwide customization craze, thanks in part to social media, adoption by major restaurant chains, and the wildly popular reality TV series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, as recently reported by The New York Times.
The category’s momentum has been especially apparent during Torani’s “Treat Truck” pop-up tour, which kicked off last year and most recently made stops in the nation’s “dirty soda capital,” Salt Lake City, and the company’s hometown of San Francisco this past spring. Between seven stops across the U.S., the activation has seen close to 14,000 people lining up eagerly to create personalized drinks layered with different syrup flavors, creamers, and more.
“Dirty soda taps into something much bigger than a beverage trend,” said Ramirez. “Consumers increasingly want drinks that reflect their routines, preferences, and personalities. When fans come to our pop-ups and tell us they have dozens of Torani flavors at home, it shows just how much people love to experiment, customize, and create drinks that feel completely their own.”
Torani’s latest research indicates that dirty soda has crossed over from being a small-scale trend to a widely embraced mainstream beverage choice. Awareness among U.S. consumers jumped from 56% to 75% between 2025 and 2026, while trial doubled from 21% to 42% within the same timeframe. The number of consumers naming dirty soda as their favorite drink also more than doubled, rising from 4% to 9% year over year, while nearly 28% reported purchasing them from restaurants multiple times per week.
The Flavors & Formats Fueling Dirty Soda’s Rise
Consumers are becoming increasingly more adventurous with flavor combinations, according to Torani. While classics such as coconut, cherry, peach, and vanilla continue to dominate dirty soda builds, Torani is seeing growing demand for tropical flavors, including guava and passion fruit, along with indulgent profiles like caramel, cupcake, and Torani’s newest flavor release: Cookie Butter Syrup ($10.99). Though Dr Pepper® stands out as the leading base for dirty soda, other popular choices include cola, lemon-lime soda, cream soda, and root beer, along with their zero-sugar counterparts.
As beverage habits continue to evolve, Torani is constantly expanding its innovation pipeline with products designed for the next wave of consumer behavior, including curated dirty soda flavoring kits, portable liquid drink enhancers, and sugar-free offerings that make customization and experimentation easier than ever.
At Home or On the Go, Personalization Is the New Expectation
Torani research indicates that dirty sodas have taken off so rapidly because the category’s format gives consumers control in deciding factors such as sweetness level, flavor combinations, cream balance, and more.
Beyond drink shops and restaurants, a growing number of Americans are making dirty sodas at home, with 64% keeping two to three syrups or sauces on hand and 34% keeping four or more on hand. An impressive 62% of dirty soda drinkers report making their own versions at home, reinforcing the growing consumer shift toward accessible mixology. Torani research also points to the category’s staying power: among dirty soda drinkers, 89% say they “love” or “like” them.
The Future of This Trend Is Bigger Than Soda
Looking ahead, Torani expects beverage innovation to continue moving beyond traditional categories as consumers increasingly seek layered, customizable drinks that combine flavor, function, and experience. The company predicts the next wave of dirty soda culture will include more elevated flavor pairings, functional and “better for you” ingredients such as prebiotic and fiber-enhanced sodas, and personalized “drink rituals” that blur the lines between coffee, soda, energy drinks, hydration, and dessert beverages.
As consumer expectations evolve, Torani expects flavor to play an even larger role in how people express identity, discover new experiences, and personalize everyday routines to fit their lifestyle and mood. For a company that helped introduce Italian sodas and flavored lattes to American consumers, dirty soda represents much more than a passing trend; it’s a continuation of a decades-long shift toward beverage customization.
Torani now has a feature on its website that allows consumers to uncover tailored recipes based on their unique drink preferences. To stay up to date on the latest beverage and flavor trends, follow @torani on Instagram and @toraniflavor on TikTok.
About Torani:
Torani is committed to being an amazing flavor company that is deeply connected to our purpose of “flavor for all, opportunity for all.” Established in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood in 1925, we put Italian sodas on the U.S. map in the 1920s and created the world’s first flavored latte in the 1980s. From the beginning, we’ve used only the best ingredients, like natural flavors and pure cane sugar, to craft flavors that are vibrant and delicious. Enjoyed in cafés, restaurants, and home kitchens for over 100 years, Torani proudly helps shape flavor innovation globally while remaining a fiercely independent, people-first Bay Area business. In practice and life beyond the bottle, Torani is a certified B Corp that believes businesses can and should create more opportunity, and we’re dedicated to helping all the people, partners, and communities we touch thrive. Learn more at torani.com.
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