It's the first major distribution agreement for a Dr Pepper Snapple brand since the Plano-based company spun off in May from Cadbury Schweppes PLC, which is headquartered in London.
Pepsi Bottling Group, based in Somers, N.Y., is the world's largest maker, seller and distributor of Pepsi beverages. It already controls about 55 percent of the distribution of Crush products, including Orange Crush.
The new deal will boost Crush availability from 40 percent of U.S. markets to 80 percent, Dr Pepper Snapple said.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Last year, Dr Pepper Snapple sold about 16 million cases of Crush, amounting to less than 1 percent of overall sales.
But Dr Pepper Snapple sees the deal as significant because flavored soft drinks such as Crush are faring better among consumers than colas.
The company hopes the increased availability will boost Crush sales.
Pepsi Bottling Group is expected to increase distribution early next year.
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