Coca-Cola’s plans to expand its brand offerings aren’t going as well as it hoped.
The company plans to discontinue Coca-Cola Spiced, which it rolled onto store shelves just six months ago, after the drink failed to bring in customers. The news is especially noteworthy as, in February, Coke held a splashy launch for the product, declaring it to the first new permanent flavor added to its North American portfolio in over three years.
Despite the name, Coca-Cola Spiced was not a spicy drink. Instead, it offered a burst of raspberry flavors with spices. It’s unclear if the product’s name led audiences to believe the taste was something more heated. “Coca-Cola Spiced is not spicy but is our boldest tasting brand innovation yet,” the company said at launch.
Aimed at a Generation Z audience, Coca-Cola Spiced opted for a raspberry flavor based on data from the Coke Freestyle drink machines. In 2022, that flavor was selected more than 5 million times by customers.
“We're always looking at what our consumers like and adjusting our range of products,” a Coca-Cola spokesperson told Fortune. “As part of this strategy, we're planning to phase out Coca-Cola Spiced to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025.”
While Spiced turned out to be a lot less permanent than the company had hoped, don’t expect Coca-Cola to stop with unusual flavor offerings. The company recently released an Oreo-flavored cola and, at the same time Spiced hit the market, it rolled out Happy Tears Zero Sugar, a mystery-flavored, salt- and mineral-infused product that comes with a “hype kit” of stickers and apparel available only on TikTok.
Part of the challenge for the soda maker is that Gen Z is more health-conscious, which has helped soft drink companies that tout health benefits. Pepsi has also seen a surge in popularity, with some analysts saying it could soon retake the title of highest-valued beverage company.
While Coca-Cola Spiced had a short lifespan, it still was significantly longer than the company’s attempt to alter the formula of its flagship beverage in 1985. “New Coke” was on the market for just 79 days.
