Coca-Cola set to sell first alcopop

IT built its business on one of the most famous soft drinks of the past century.

Now Coca-Cola is preparing to sell its first alcoholic beverage in Japan.

It is experimenting with its own version of chu-hi, a popular local alcopop-style sparkling drink containing a spirit called shochu. It is typically between 3 per cent and 8 per cent alcohol by volume.

Jorge Garduno, the company’s president for Japan, said: ‘We haven’t experimented in the low-alcohol category before, but it’s an example of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our core areas.

‘This is a modest experiment for a specific slice of our market.’

He added the drink was unlikely to be introduced outside Japan.

Chu-hi is marketed as an alternative to beer and many of the country’s big drink firms have varieties of it.