Managed to wean yourself off Coke, or Coke Zero, or Coke Lite, or any of the other variations out there?

Well played, but if you happen to be visiting Japan you might want to give the company’s new alcopop a try. Yup, after 132 years of plying you full of sugar, they’re now chucking some booze into the mix.

That booze would be shochu, a local spirit, with Coke’s concoction a version of the popular canned sparkling flavoured alcopops, “Chu-Hi”.

More below from the Guardian:

[Coke] hopes to capitalise on the increase in popularity in Japan of Chu-Hi alcopops.

Sales of the drink, which ranges in alcohol content from 3-8%, have surged over the past five years and it is particularly popular with female drinkers.

Jorge Garduño, Coca-Cola’s Japan president, said: “We haven’t experimented in the low-alcohol category before, but it’s an example of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our core areas.”

Garduño said Coca-Cola would probably sell its alcoholic drinks only in Japan, because of the “unique and special qualities” of the domestic market.

It’s not like the Coca-Cola company is falling on hard times, but as the more health-conscious younger generation starts to consume less sugar Coke continues to branch out.

Here’s Howard Telford, head of soft drinks at Euromonitor International, a market research firm:

“This is a departure for Coca-Cola, but I think this reflects the way that changing consumer tastes are pushing the company into less familiar areas like premium dairy, coffee, tea and now low-alcohol flavoured drinks…

The Chu-Hi category is found almost exclusively in Japan. Globally, it’s not uncommon for non-alcoholic beverages to be sold in the same system as alcoholic beverages. It makes sense to give this a try in our market”.

Cool, as long they don’t stuff up the branding and have everyone mixing them up (cough – Schweppes).

Maybe Coca-Cola are going to start making their own katemba now?

[source:guardian]