Coca-Cola debuts Coca-Cola Spiced as permanent addition to portfolio

Coca-Cola Spiced ‘transforms the familiar into the extraordinary, blending the iconic taste of Coca-Cola with a burst of refreshing notes from raspberry and spiced flavors’.

The drink is not actually spicy: but provides ‘an uplifting taste experience unlike any other’. It comes in two varieties: Coca-Cola Spiced and Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar (A 12oz serving of Coca-Cola Spiced contains 150 calories and 41g sugar, comparable to a standard portion of flagship Coca-Cola). 

Coca-Cola identifies a ‘massive increase’ in spiced and raspberry flavors in beverages and the wider food industry.

It notes an 124% increase in consumer willingness to try spice in beverages since 2019, and a 25% increase of interest in raspberry soft drinks over the last four years.

The beverage giant also draws on data from its own Freestyle machines: more than 5 million raspberry servings were poured from these machines in 2022 alone.

The packaging design for Coca-Cola Spiced and Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar ties in with the overall visual identity of the Coca-Cola trademark and Zero Sugar varieties.

Coca-Cola Spiced maintains the classic Coke Trademark red: supplemented with a sleek swirl made up of raspberry-inspired colors.

Both varieties use a bold, dominant script to bring out the Coca-Cola branding (white for full sugar varieties and black for zero sugar).  

While The Coca-Cola Company has been moving beyond its soda stronghold in its ambition to become a 'total beverage company'​​, trademark Coca-Cola is still a foundational pillar for the company. In North America, trademark Coca-Cola makes up around 44% of volume sales.

While the trademark regularly introduces limited edition drinks - not least with its Coca-Cola Creations series with the latest addition launched this week as well (see below) - its core permanent portfolio has not changed for three years. 

Coca-Cola Spiced joins trademark Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Cherry and Coca-Cola Vanilla.

Coca-Cola Creations: Happy Tears Zero Sugar

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Creations has unveiled its latest edition, Coca-Cola Happy Tears Zero Sugar, a drink designed to ‘celebrate acts of kindness’.

The Coca-Cola Creations series is designed to bring new flavors, experience and designs to engage a Gen Z audience. Previous editions have included ‘gaming-inspired’ Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte​​ (which ‘brings the flavor of pixels to life’) and Y3000 Zero Sugar​​ (‘the first futuristic flavor co-created with human and artificial intelligence from Coca-Cola).

Coca-Cola Happy Tears Zero Sugar is available for purchase exclusively in the US and Great Britain via TikTok, while supplies last.

“Coca-Cola Happy Tears Zero Sugar is our newest Creation that embraces the power of kindness, it is also the first-ever to be sold in a hype kit exclusively available on TikTok,” said Oana Vlad, Senior Director, Global Strategy at The Coca-Cola Company.

“Similar to previous Coca-Cola Creations, we have developed a unique, unexpected flavor – inspired by what happy tears might taste like – in addition to creating an innovative digital experience inspired by kindness."

Boxed in a limited-edition hype kit that includes two cans, the can design is embossed with 'an iridescent drop of joy', paired with an assortment of items designed to capture the essence of happy tears ('Happy Tears' stickers, kindness-themed apparel, and customized tissues).

The drink launches on ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’ (17 February)