Coca-Cola gets into hard seltzer business

Coca-Cola launches hard seltzer brand

Simply Lemonade is the latest Coca-Cola beverage brand to get an alcohol infusion.

The citrus soft drink will be canned in 12- and 24-ounce tins with a shelf-stable fermented sugar cane base, and it will have a 5% ABV content. This boozy blend, which comes courtesy of an exclusive deal between the Molson Coors Beverage Company and The Coca-Cola Company, is an expanded agreement between the two beverage giants. 

COCA-COLA TO ENTER HARD SELTZER MARKET 

"Over the past two years, we’ve seen success by shaking up existing categories with new brands that have clear, compelling points of difference, like Coca-Cola's Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Vizzy Hard Seltzer and ZOA Energy Drink," said Michelle St. Jacques, chief marketing officer at Molson Coors, in a statement. "Now, we have a huge opportunity to leverage the power of Simply – a brand known for real juice and big flavor – to disrupt the full-flavor alcohol segment in a way that’s never been done before."

The upcoming beverage has been named Simply Spiked Lemonade and will be available for purchase in summer 2022.

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Molson Coors Beverage Company and The Coca-Cola Company are producing Simply Spiked Lemonade through an exclusive deal. (Molson Coors Beverage Company)

So far, there are four flavors in the drink’s lineup, including Simply’s signature lemonade, strawberry lemonade, blueberry lemonade and watermelon lemonade. Each drink will be made with real fruit juice.

Select flavors will be packaged in 24-ounce standalone cans while all four will be packaged in slim 12-ounce cans and sold in 12-piece variety packs.

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Molson Coors' announcement for Simply Spiked Lemonade comes nearly a year after it launched Topo Chico Hard Seltzer with The Coca-Cola Company.

In recent years, Coca-Cola has been adding alcoholic beverages to its global portfolio. The beverage giant notably introduced the spiked drink Lemon-Do in Japan back in May 2018, and more recently Coca-Cola has partnered with Constellation Brands to make a spiked soda line with its Fresca brand. 

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Simply is The Coca-Cola Company’s second-largest U.S. soft drink brand, according to Molson Coors’ press release. The brand, which largely produces fruit juices, is reportedly found in half of American households and has net revenue that exceeds $1 billion – and that’s when it’s alcohol-free.

A market research report from IBISWorld – an industry market research and stats firm – predicts that the ready-to-drink (RTD) mixed spirit production market will reach $5.6 billion in 2022, which would be a 1.4% increase year-over-year, according to data it has on hand.

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"The market size of the RTD Mixed Spirit Production industry in the US increased faster than the Consumer Goods and Services sector overall," IBISWorld wrote in its report. "The primary negative factor affecting this industry is high competition, while the primary positive factor is a growing life cycle stage."

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