Coca-Cola’s new sips include Sprite Lymonade
Coca-Cola is introducing several new drinks, including a lemonade version of Sprite and a tomato juice blend a la V8.
Sprite Lymonade – no, that’s not a typo – blends the lemon-lime taste of the clear soda with lemonade, including 1 percent lemon juice. The drink – 220 calories for a 20-ounce bottle – doesn’t come in a diet version, according to the company.
“Sparkling lemonade is a fast-growing category, mainly due to new entrants and innovation. Over the last 52 weeks the category has grown 136 percent,” the Atlanta-based beverage giant said, explaining the logic behind the new flavor.
Minute Maid Tomato Juice Blend is the first 100 percent vegetable blend for Minute Maid, Coca-Cola said. In addition to tomato, it includes carrot, celery, cucumber and beet juices. Each 12-ounce bottle has 70 calories. Both beverages go on sale in the first quarter of 2019.
Other new drinks include:
❚ Zico Coco-Lixirs: Blends of coconut water and cold-pressed juices. Three flavors: For Lemon’s Sake (organic coconut water, lemon juice, pineapple juice, ginger and turmeric); Unbe-leaf-able (coconut water, cucumber, celery, kale, spinach, lemon, parsley and ginger); and Turn Up the Beet (coconut water, carrot, blueberry, apple, beet, lemon and baobob).
❚ Dunkin’ Donuts Shot in the Dark Coffee Espresso Blend: Coffee mixed with cream, sugar and espresso. Three flavors: Caramel, mocha and vanilla.
❚ Simply Smoothie: 100 percent fruit juices/purees with natural flavors. Three flavors: Strawberry banana, mango Pineapple and orchard berry.
❚ Alkaline and antioxidant versions of Smartwater.
What traditionally were soda companies now look beyond beverages to drive sales, because soda consumption isn’t what it once was. Consumers are increasingly health conscious, so they opt for water, juices or drinks that claim to do more for you than just quench your thirst. Soda also faces sugary-drinks taxes in municipalities across the U.S. In 2016, for the first time, Americans bought more bottled water than carbonated soft drinks – 12.8 billion gallons versus 12.4 billion gallons – according to Beverage Marketing, a research and consulting company. Last month, Coca-Cola said it was “closely watching” the market for drinks made with cannabidiol, also known as CBD, found in marijuana. In August, the company announced it was buying Costa Limited, a United Kingdom-based competitor to Starbucks, for approximately $5.1 billion. Coca-Cola reported net income from continuing operations of close to $2.32 billion or 58 cents per share, adjusted, on net operating revenues of about $8.25 billion for its third quarter, the three months ending Sept. 28.