Coca-cola unveils first alcoholic drink
Leading carbonated soft drinks producer, Coca-Cola has ventured into the alcoholic drink segment by launching its first alcoholic drink in Japan.
The canned liquor, a fizzy, lemon-flavoured concoction laced with spirits was introduced by the company to capitalize on the growing popularity of “Chu-Hi” alcopops enjoyed especially by young women in the country.
The brand was launched to tap new markets and win more consumers for the company.
Speaking about the new product, the president of Coca-Cola’s Japan Business Unit, Jorge Garduno, said the experiment and experiences that the launch of the alcoholic drink has created is quite “unique” in the company’s 125-year history.
Garduno noted that the 350ml-can drink will be available in the southern Kyushu region of Japan from Monday, May 28, 2018.
“This is unique in our history. Coca-Cola has always focused entirely on non-alcoholic beverages, and this is a modest experiment for a specific slice of our market,”
‘’Japan is a fiercely competitive market, with Coca-Cola launching 100 products a year in the country. “Experimentation is almost like a day-to-day ritual here. You can’t fall behind the rapid product cycle in Japan,” he said.
He added that there are no plans to bring the new drink to markets outside Japan.
Coca Cola product developers got the idea after visiting Japanese-style “izakaya” pubs, where they discovered that lemon-flavoured drinks are very popular, according to the firm’s website.
In keeping with the company’s tradition, the recipe is closely guarded but the drinks are modeled on the country’s popular Chu-Hi drinks, usually a mix of local spirit and a range of fruit flavours.
Chu-Hi – an abbreviation for shochu highball – has been marketed as an alternative to beer, proving especially popular with female drinkers.
Local companies like Suntory, Asahi and Kirin currently dominate the sector for canned Chu-Hi drinks in Japan.
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