Coca-Cola and Bacardi are planning to introduce a co-branded ready-to-drink cocktail next year,͏͏ building͏͏ on͏͏ Coca-Cola’s͏͏ recent͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ Brown-Forman͏͏ for͏͏ Jack͏͏ Daniel‘s.
Market͏͏ Focus:
The͏͏ Bacardi͏͏ Mixed͏͏ with͏͏ Coca-Cola͏͏ cocktail͏͏ will͏͏ first͏͏ be͏͏ launched͏͏ in͏͏ Mexico͏͏ and͏͏ select͏͏ European͏͏ markets͏͏ in͏͏ 2025.
The͏͏ companies͏͏ stated͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ “global͏͏ benchmark”͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ new͏͏ drink’s͏͏ alcohol͏͏ by͏͏ volume͏͏ (ABV)͏͏ is͏͏ set͏͏ at͏͏ 5%,͏͏ although͏͏ it͏͏ will͏͏ differ͏͏ by͏͏ market.͏͏ The͏͏ promotional͏͏ launch͏͏ features͏͏ packaging͏͏ that͏͏ indicates͏͏ an͏͏ ABV͏͏ of͏͏ 5.9%.
Coca-Cola͏͏ Co.͏͏ chairman͏͏ and͏͏ CEO͏͏ James͏͏ Quincey͏͏ stated,͏͏ “We͏͏ are͏͏ committed͏͏ to͏͏ expanding͏͏ our͏͏ portfolio͏͏ as͏͏ a͏͏ total͏͏ beverage͏͏ company,͏͏ particularly͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ growing͏͏ alcohol͏͏ RTD͏͏ market.͏͏ Our͏͏ new͏͏ partnership͏͏ with͏͏ Bacardi͏͏ Limited͏͏ aligns͏͏ with͏͏ our͏͏ strategic͏͏ expansion͏͏ goals.”
Bacardi͏͏ CEO͏͏ Mahesh͏͏ Madhavan͏͏ remarked,͏͏ “This͏͏ partnership͏͏ will͏͏ enhance͏͏ our͏͏ reach͏͏ and͏͏ accessibility,͏͏ allowing͏͏ even͏͏ more͏͏ legal͏͏ drinking͏͏ age͏͏ consumers͏͏ to͏͏ enjoy͏͏ the͏͏ classic͏͏ Bacardi͏͏ rum͏͏ and͏͏ Coca-Cola͏͏ cocktail.”
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Coca-Cola’s͏͏ Minute͏͏ Maid͏͏ diversifies͏͏ portfolio:͏͏ Enters͏͏ alcohol͏͏ market͏͏ with͏͏ innovative͏͏ cocktails
Previous͏͏ Collaborations:
In͏͏ 2022,͏͏ Coca-Cola͏͏ partnered͏͏ with͏͏ Brown-Forman͏͏ to͏͏ create͏͏ a͏͏ cocktail͏͏ featuring͏͏ Jack͏͏ Daniel’s͏͏ Tennessee͏͏ Whiskey͏͏ and͏͏ Coca-Cola.
That͏͏ agreement͏͏ marked͏͏ the͏͏ first͏͏ collaboration͏͏ between͏͏ the͏͏ two͏͏ companies͏͏ on͏͏ a͏͏ product,͏͏ even͏͏ though͏͏ Brown-Forman͏͏ had͏͏ previously͏͏ launched͏͏ pre-mixed͏͏ Jack͏͏ Daniel’s͏͏ and͏͏ Cola͏͏ RTDs,͏͏ which͏͏ have͏͏ since͏͏ been͏͏ discontinued.
Last͏͏ year,͏͏ Coca-Cola͏͏ unveiled͏͏ a͏͏ co-branded͏͏ ready-to-drink͏͏ cocktail͏͏ in͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ Pernod͏͏ Ricard,͏͏ introducing͏͏ the͏͏ vodka-based͏͏ Absolut͏͏ &͏͏ Sprite.
Before͏͏ partnering͏͏ with͏͏ Brown-Forman,͏͏ Coca-Cola͏͏ collaborated͏͏ with͏͏ Molson͏͏ Coors͏͏ to͏͏ introduce͏͏ Topo͏͏ Chico͏͏ Hard͏͏ Seltzer͏͏ and͏͏ experimented͏͏ with͏͏ alcoholic͏͏ soft͏͏ drinks,͏͏ including͏͏ a͏͏ hard͏͏ lemonade͏͏ in͏͏ Japan.
However,͏͏ it͏͏ had͏͏ not͏͏ incorporated͏͏ the͏͏ Coca-Cola͏͏ brand͏͏ into͏͏ an͏͏ alcoholic͏͏ product͏͏ until͏͏ its͏͏ partnership͏͏ with͏͏ Brown-Forman.
When͏͏ the͏͏ partnership͏͏ was͏͏ initially͏͏ announced͏͏ in͏͏ 2022,͏͏ Ricard͏͏ Woodard͏͏ highlighted͏͏ that͏͏ it͏͏ signified͏͏ a͏͏ change͏͏ in͏͏ Coca-Cola’s͏͏ approach͏͏ to͏͏ alcohol,͏͏ particularly͏͏ given͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ has͏͏ millions͏͏ of͏͏ sub-LDA͏͏ consumers͏͏ among͏͏ its͏͏ most͏͏ loyal͏͏ customers.
“Historically͏͏ hesitant͏͏ to͏͏ engage͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ alcohol͏͏ sector,͏͏ Coca-Cola͏͏ has,͏͏ under͏͏ current͏͏ CEO͏͏ James͏͏ Quincey,͏͏ ventured͏͏ more͏͏ into͏͏ this͏͏ complex͏͏ market͏͏ with͏͏ products͏͏ like͏͏ Topo͏͏ Chico͏͏ hard͏͏ seltzer͏͏ and͏͏ alcoholic͏͏ extensions͏͏ of͏͏ its͏͏ Simply͏͏ and͏͏ Fresca͏͏ brands,”͏͏ wrote͏͏ Woodard.
“This͏͏ venture͏͏ is͏͏ taking͏͏ place͏͏ at͏͏ a͏͏ time͏͏ that͏͏ highlights͏͏ the͏͏ rapid͏͏ and͏͏ significant͏͏ transformations͏͏ occurring͏͏ within͏͏ the͏͏ expansive͏͏ RTD͏͏ category.͏͏ Once͏͏ viewed͏͏ in͏͏ many͏͏ Western͏͏ markets͏͏ as͏͏ a͏͏ low-margin͏͏ entry͏͏ point͏͏ into͏͏ beverage͏͏ alcohol,͏͏ it͏͏ has͏͏ evolved͏͏ into͏͏ a͏͏ highly͏͏ diverse͏͏ space͏͏ that͏͏ includes͏͏ everything͏͏ from͏͏ hard͏͏ seltzers͏͏ and͏͏ premium͏͏ premixed͏͏ cocktails͏͏ to͏͏ reinvented͏͏ alcopops,͏͏ as͏͏ well͏͏ as͏͏ hard͏͏ teas,͏͏ coffees,͏͏ and͏͏ kombuchas.”
