New Update:
- After only seven months on the market, Coca-Cola has announced that it will be discontinuing its Spiced flavor. The beverage giant stated in an email to Food Dive that it plans to phase out Coca-Cola Spiced in order to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025.
- Although the Atlanta-based company did not provide a specific reason for discontinuing Spiced, it emphasized that Coca-Cola is always focused on meeting customer preferences and adjusting its product range accordingly.
- Spiced was intended to be Coca-Cola’s first permanent offering in over three years. Combining traditional Coke flavor with raspberry and spiced notes, the soda made its debut on shelves in February.
Insights:
New flavor offerings have been a key strategy for Coca-Cola to maintain and expand consumer interest in soda. Spiced was also an attempt to cater to the growing demand for spicier foods and beverages, particularly among younger consumers. Despite its name, Coca-Cola clarified that the beverage is bold in flavor rather than spicy.
While the company did not disclose the specific reasons for discontinuing Spiced, it is possible that limited awareness and confusion about the flavor contributed to its underperformance in sales.
By discontinuing Spiced, Coca-Cola likely decided to allocate its resources and shelf space towards a different upcoming beverage.
Coca-Cola’s recent innovation efforts have been focused on its Creations platform, which was launched in 2022 to highlight the brand’s signature beverage and attract a younger audience. These creations do not reveal a specific flavor profile but instead evoke a mood or experience, successfully engaging consumers with the original Coca-Cola brand.
Since its launch, Coca-Cola has introduced 11 limited-time items, including Coca-Cola Starlight, Coca-Cola Byte, Coca-Cola Dreamworld, and Coca-Cola Wozzaah.
In recent years, Coca-Cola has discontinued several brands either due to sluggish sales or to prioritize higher-growth offerings. In 2021, the company ceased production of Coca-Cola Energy, and last year it announced a significant reduction in the distribution of Aha sparkling water due to declining sales. Other brands that have been discontinued or sold include Honest tea, Zico coconut water, and Tab soda.