Rumor has it that the worldwide famous brand, Coca-Cola, will be launching their first ever alcoholic beverage! CNN reported that the brand plans to introduce it's new drink later this year in JAPAN!
Coca-Cola is attempting to cash in on Japan's demand for a beverage made from distilled grains in a famous Japanese spirit called "Shochu". Coke's drink will be called "Chu-hi" and will be a canned beverage made of this spirit and sparkling water. The drink will be between 3%-8% alcohol by volume.
Coca-Cola CEO, James Quincey, spoke out stating he would like the company to experiment beyond soft drinks. Japan is said to be a prime market for testing out new products as it is insanely competitive and always changing.
Other brands have found success in Japan including Nestle (chocolate distributor), Aquarius (sports drink), and Georgia Coffee (canned coffee beverage). These companies have since generated over $1 billion dollars in global sales following their test run in Japan.
As far as the alcoholic beverage by Coca-Cola goes, for right now it is being distributed specifically for Japan with no plans of moving to the states. However, James Quincey said "never say never" and left open the possibility of an alcoholic beverage hitting the U.S. from Coca-Cola one of these days.
Source: CNN