Samba fever could soon grip soft drinks aisles as ABInBev introduces its Brazilian brand Guaraná Antarctica this month.

Made from the guaraná berry, it is second only in size to Coca-Cola in its native country and is the main sponsor of the Brazilian football team.

A “multimillion” pound TV and digital marketing campaign would kick off once distribution across all the major multiples was secured, said Mike Coleman, business manager at Fayrefield Foods, which is the UK distributor.

The drink rolls out into Waitrose stores on 4 October in 330ml cans and Fayrefield was in the final stage of negotiations with other retailers, added Coleman.

Despite containing guaranine, a stimulant similar to caffeine, the brand would not be positioned in the energy category, but as a soft drink like Coca-Cola, he explained.

“The initial marketing will be very much working with the retailers on in-store activity, with heavy price promotions to drive trial,” he said. “Once we get mass we will look to do a lot more mainstream ­marketing.”

Made in Brazil, Portugal and Japan, Guaraná Antarctica is one of the 15 biggest soft drinks in the world and is licensed from ABInBev in Europe by Portuguese company Sumol+Compal.

In the past, Brazil had ­focused the drink on its ­domestic market, added Coleman, who said there would be increasing global excitement focused on Brazil in coming years as it hosts the Olympics and World Cup. The UK launch would hopefully tap into that interest, he said.

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