Coca-Cola Co. is discontinuing its newest “permanent” flavor a little more than seven months after its release.
The beverage giant said Wednesday that Coca-Cola Spiced and Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar will be phased out and replaced with a new flavor that will be introduced next year.
“We’re always looking at what our consumers like and adjusting our product offerings,” the Atlanta-based company said in a statement.
Coca-Cola Spiced went on sale in the US and Canada on February 19. At the time, the company said it would be the first new permanent addition to its North American portfolio in three years.
Coca-Cola did not elaborate Wednesday on what went wrong, but it may have been the name. Coca-Cola Spiced doesn’t have much heat; it tastes mostly raspberry.
Or it may have gone to market too quickly. Coca-Cola North American marketing director Shakir Moin told The Associated Press in February that Coca-Cola Spiced was developed in just seven weeks. It usually takes a year for Coke to come up with a new drink.
– Consumers move faster. The market is moving forward faster. We have to be faster than the speed of the market, says Moin.
Coke has been exploring ways to get younger drinkers excited about its signature cola. In 2022, it launched Coca-Cola Creations, a series of eight limited-edition cola flavors in colorful cans and bottles. Hints of coconut, strawberry, watermelon and other flavors were added to the drinks.
Last month, it launched a limited-edition Oreo-flavored cola with special black-and-white packaging.
Atlanta-based Coke also leans more alcoholic beverages. The company’s first American alcoholic beverage, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, was released in 2021. Earlier this month, Coke and Bacardi Limited announced a deal to bring a pre-mixed rum-and-cola cocktail to Europe and Mexico next year.
Originally published: