Coca-Cola Launches a brand of prebiotic soda simply called pop, face the Olipop and Poppi upstarts.
From the end of February, consumers on the west coast and in the south-east will be able to try the iteration of coke of fashionable drink.
The consumption of soda has largely fallen in the United States over the past two decades, injured by health problems and an increase in alternatives on the market, from cold infusion to energy drinks to water. But in the past five years, sodas containing prebiotics have taken off, thanks to new arrivals from the Olipop and Poppi industry.
Olipop recently raised $ 50 million to an evaluation of $ 1.85 billion, the company announced on Wednesday. And Poppi made its second consecutive appearance at the Super Bowl in this year’s match, with up to $ 8 million to reach the record audience of the game.
Healthy digestive soft drinks went from a category of $ 197 million in the United States in 2020 to one of $ 440 million in 2024, according to Euromonitor International Data. However, it is a fraction of the global gas market, which is worth billions of dollars.
The first range of simply pop products is leaning on fruity, in the blink of an eye to the JUICE brand of COKE COKE. The flavors include pineapple mango, lime, strawberry, fruit punch and citrus punch.
“We have come out and really listened to consumers. They love this space, they really look for things that taste good, and that’s something we know how to deliver to Coke,” said Becca Kerr, CEO of Coke’s North American Nutrition Unit, which understands its marks simply and Fairlife.
Simply pop drinks have no added sugar and contain 25% to 30% real fruit juice, the company said. They also contain vitamin C and zinc, which can increase the immune system.
They also have six grams of prebiotic fibers – the triple poppi fiber content but less than the nine grams of olipop.
Prebiotics have taken off thanks to the affirmations that they can stimulate “intestinal health” by helping beneficial bacteria to develop in the intestine. Their health services have not been proven in a conclusive manner.
“We find that there is a tendency to be an appetite for this type of product with younger consumers, such as the millennium and generation Z,” said Kerr. “We see an interest in these types of multicultural consumer products.”
But health claims can cause a decline. Poppi is in discussion of a legal action settlement at the end of May which questions the marketing of the company, arguing that Poppi products are not as healthy for the intestine as announced.
Coke has the category of prebiotic sodas on its radar for several years, according to Kerr. The CEO and co-founder of Olipop, Ben Goodwin, told CNBC in 2023 that Coke and Pepsico had already approached the company with a potential sale. Pepsi would plan its own launch of prebiotic soda in 2025.
Although it is a newcomer in the segment, COKE has obvious advantages: over 100 years dominating the category of sodas, the marketing and distribution muscle, and $ 47 billion in revenues in 2024 – Compared to more than $ 400 million in sales that Olipop allowed in 2024.
However, Coke has already failed when he tried to hunt a drinking trend. He withdrew his spicy coke flavor from the shelves in 2024 only a few months after declaring his permanent addition. And in 2023, he reduced the distribution of his brand AHA Sparkling Water after the product failed to take off with consumers.