The Coca-Cola Co. is launching a variety of ready-to-serve “flavoured wine cocktails” under CSD and juice brand Minute Maid.
The lineup, Minute Maid Spiked, marks the orange juice brand’s first venture into the alcohol category.
Minute Maid Spiked will come in three flavours: lime margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and piña colada. Each will be available in a 1.5-litre bottle with a 13.9% alcohol by volume (abv).
The ready-to-serve cocktail range is set to debut in the first half of 2024 and will be managed by Coca-Cola’s alcohol unit subsidiary, Red Tree Beverages.
Coca-Cola said that Minute Maid Spiked will initially be exclusively available in the US. The range will be distributed “nationwide” through retail outlets that “offer comparable wine products,” the company added.
When questioned about the wine sourcing for the range, the spokesperson stated, “The formula and ingredient information are proprietary to Red Tree, and we do not disclose this information.”
In July, Coca-Cola created the Red Tree Beverages subsidiary to further explore opportunities in the alcohol sector.
The company stated that the unit, referred to as a “firewalled subsidiary” of its primary operations, obtained a federal basic permit (mandatory for all alcohol distillers, importers, and wholesalers operating in the US) late last year.
In a statement at the time, Coca-Cola said, “This allows it [the company] to engage further in its relationships with third-party alcohol companies that use The Coca-Cola Company’s brands in the alcohol space.
“Red Tree Beverages will not be distributing alcohol in the US, and neither will The Coca-Cola Company. The creation of Red Tree Beverages is the next logical step in The Coca-Cola Company’s evolution as it continues its deliberate and disciplined experimentation in alcohol in the United States.”
Coca-Cola maintains a limited portfolio of alcoholic beverage products, manufactured and distributed by third-party producers. This selection includes Topo Chico Hard Seltzer and Simply Spiked Lemonade (Molson Coors Beverage Co.), as well as Fresca Mixed (Constellation Brands).
Last year, the company partnered with Brown-Forman to launch a ready-to-drink Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola product. The RTD has since been rolled out globally to markets, including the EU and the UK.
In October, Pernod Ricard collaborated with Coca-Cola to create Absolut & Sprite, a vodka-based ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail. The product is scheduled to be launched next year.
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