KFC is switching its U.S. beverage supplier from PepsiCo to Coca-Cola, with the rollout of Coca-Cola products set to begin in January. KFC operates 3,718 U.S. restaurants. Yum! Brands said the change is part of an effort to evolve KFC and improve its restaurants, menu offerings and customer experience. Shares of Yum! Brands rose 2.7% after the news, Coca-Cola gained 0.2% and PepsiCo fell 0.7%. The accounts differ on the history of the Pepsi relationship: existing reporting dates it to PepsiCo’s acquisition of KFC in 1986, while the new release describes a supply agreement with Yum! Brands dating to the restaurant division’s 1997 spin-off. The existing record gives spring 2027 as the target for Coca-Cola products to reach KFC locations; the new release says rollout starts in January.