Soda Stream, a Study in Anti-Israel Boycott Tactics, Bought by Pepsico for $3.2 Billion

Although there is no way of knowing what being at the center of one of the most publicized incidents of anti-Israel boycott, or BDS, had on the SodaStream company’s branding and sales; or whether having Scarlet Johansson defiantly refuse to abandon her role as its face to the public amid intense pressure from Israel’s critics to do so. Nevertheless, theories are bound to multiply after announcing Pepsico had purchased it for $3.2 billion. Once based in the Jerusalem suburb of Ma’aleh Adumim, on land Israel conquered in the 1967 war that is also claimed by the Palestinians for their future state, SodaStream became embroiled in calls for its boycott by the Ramallah-based Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Although the company’s officials tried to make their case and stave-off the boycotters, it eventually moved to the Tel Aviv area. Ironically, it was reported that a great number of Palestinian SodaStream employees lost their jobs as a result of the actions of the purportedly pro-Palestinian BDS group. The company was riding a wave of economic success when Pepsico made the deal. Its August earning report showed an 82% increase in net profit ($26 million) and a revenue jump of 31%. The SodaStream product is a home-carbonating soda making unit that environment-conscious consumers can use in place of vast quantities of plastic bottles in which traditional soft drinks are sold.