Coca-Cola Discontinues Spiced Flavor Just Six Months After Launch

Coca-Cola has announced the discontinuation of its Spiced flavour, a decision made just six months after its introduction to the market. This move signals an end to the company’s recent efforts to appeal to younger consumers, particularly Gen-Z drinkers.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola explained, “We’re always looking at what our customers like and adjusting our flavours. As part of this strategy, we’re planning to phase out Coca-Cola Spiced to introduce an exciting new flavour in 2025.”

Initially launched in February with a vibrant advertising campaign, Spiced combined the classic Coca-Cola taste with hints of raspberry. Despite its marketing as a “permanent” flavour, the beverage struggled to gain traction, with its short lifespan attributed to factors like consumer confusion over its taste – despite the name, it wasn’t actually spicy—and low awareness of the new offering.

Coca-Cola’s strategy for Spiced was rooted in research indicating a growing consumer interest in spiced beverages and an appreciation for raspberry flavours, which were notably popular in the company’s Freestyle drink machines. According to Sue Lynne Cha, Coca-Cola’s vice president of marketing for North America, “Consumers are looking for more bold flavours and more complex flavour profiles.”

However, the Spiced flavour may have been overshadowed by Coca-Cola’s recent lineup of limited-time offerings, including collaborations and unique flavours like “Dreamworld,” “Starlight,” and “Byte.” Duane Sanford, editor of Beverage Digest, suggested that Spiced “might have been lost in the shuffle” amid these experimental drinks.

In addition to discontinuing Spiced, Coca-Cola confirmed the end of production for other flavours, including Cherry Vanilla and Diet Coke with Splenda. This decision is part of a broader initiative that has seen the company eliminate approximately 200 products over the past four years, including well-known brands like Tab and AHA Sparkling Water.

As consumer preferences shift away from sugary sodas toward sparkling waters and hydration products, Coca-Cola is adapting by expanding its Topo Chico water line and growing its BodyArmor brand. Despite a 2.9% rise in net revenue in the second quarter of the year, volumes of North American sales declined by 1%, highlighting the challenges the beverage giant faces in the evolving market landscape.