The Coca-Cola Company has introduced its first prebiotic soda line, launching the Simply Pop brand in the US.
Simply Pop, initially set to go on sale “at retail in select regions” and via Amazon, is targeted at a product set that includes brands such as Olipop and Poppi.
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In a statement, Coca-Cola said Simply Pop contains 6g of prebiotic fibre “to support gut health”, along with Vitamin C and Zinc to “aid immune function”.
The drinks, sold in 12-ounce cans, will be available in five flavours: strawberry, pineapple mango, fruit punch, lime and citrus punch.
Coca-Cola has chosen to launch the drinks under its existing Simply brand, which until now has focused on juices, smoothies and lemonade.
“We found that consumers, especially wellness-focused Gen Z-ers and Millennials, were really interested in juice and prebiotic sodas,” Becca Kerr, who holds the position of CEO of nutrition at Coca-Cola, said.
“And, since many brands in this category are new, they were looking to align with names they know and trust for both quality and taste.”
Simply said that the development of Simply Pop involved over a year of taste profiling, packaging design, and consumer feedback sessions.
Last week, Olipop confirmed it had raised $50m in a Series C funding round, bringing its valuation to $1.85bn.
The California-based business also named Mel Landis, a former Coca-Cola Company executive, as its new president.
In a statement, Olipop said the cash injection marked its “final anticipated round of equity financing”, after becoming profitable “in early 2024”.
Olipop confirmed to Just Drinks that Goodwin expects the company to see double-digit growth throughout 2025.
Despite this positive outlook, the group also confirmed that it fell short of its $500m sales target projected in May, generating over $400m in revenue for fiscal year 2024.
