For the first time in more than a decade, Coca-Cola is adding a new flavor to its roster: Orange Vanilla Coke and Orange Vanilla Coke Zero Sugar.
Inspired by the creamsicles of your childhood and sparked by the 2016 launch of the One Brand strategy, Orange Vanilla Coke and Orange Vanilla Coke Zero Sugar will be available nationwide in 12-oz. cans and 20-oz. bottles beginning on Feb. 25. While the flavor is here to stay, Coke’s 12-ounce “sleek” cans — the tall, skinny ones — will only be available from March through May.
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“What we realized is that we had a diamond in the rough when we looked at our flavors portfolio. The growth of Cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke – and their zero-calorie variants – has been really strong in recent years even with very limited marketing support,” Kate Carpenter, brand director, Coca-Cola, said in a press release. “We knew we had an opportunity to give fans the variety they crave without sacrificing the Coca-Cola taste they love.”
Orange Vanilla beat out three other flavors when put into consideration for a new launch, rising ahead of raspberry, lemon, and ginger thanks to its combination of orange and vanilla, which was an effort to evoke memories of childhood.
“We wanted to bring back positive memories of carefree summer days,” Carpenter explained. “That’s why we leaned into the orange-vanilla flavor combination – which is reminiscent of the creamy orange popsicles we grew up loving, but in a classically Coke way.”
Orange Vanilla joins longstanding favorites Vanilla Coke, launched in 2007, and Cherry Coke, which has been on the market since 1985.
Earlier this year, the popular soda brand also launched two new flavor to its Diet Coke line, Strawberry Guava and Blueberry Acai flavors, which were selected from a shortlist of 20 options and tested with more than 2,000 Americans.
Just a year before that, Coke Zero underwent a relaunch. The relaunch included a slight recipe change to make “the great taste Coke Zero fans love even better and a lot like a Coke” as well as a name change, switching to Coke Zero Sugar.
“Like Coke Zero, Coke Zero Sugar is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame K,” they explained at the time. “We only tweaked the blend of natural flavors, which are proprietary to Coca-Cola, so the ingredient list on the Nutrition Facts Panel on cans and bottles is the same.”
Other flavors in the Coke Zero Sugar line include Coca-Cola Cherry Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero Sugar, and Caffeine-Free Coke Zero Sugar.
