Cans of Coca-Cola Spiced, the beverage company's first new permanent offering to its North American portfolio in three years, are introduced at a livestream media event, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
From Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to Sweet Heat Starburst, America’s snacks are getting spicier. Now, Coca-Cola wants in on the trend.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta beverage giant introduced Coca-Cola Spiced, the first new permanent offering to its North American portfolio in three years. Coca-Cola Spiced and Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar will go on sale in the U.S. and Canada on Feb. 19.
Coca-Cola Spiced doesn’t have a lot of heat. The main flavor drinkers will notice is a hint of raspberry. Coke won’t name the spices it added – it guards its recipes closely – but they taste like amped-up versions of the spices in regular Coke.
“If you go to the aisles, you’ll see the amount of spiciness has gone up because consumers’ taste palettes have evolved. We realized that could be an opportunity for us,” Coca-Cola’s North American marketing chief Shakir Moin told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “Can we dial up something which is already part of our formula and bring in a taste profile that is interesting, unique, and brings in the next generation of consumers?”
Coke has been exploring ways to get younger drinkers excited about its signature cola. In 2022, it launched Coca-Cola Creations, a series of eight limited-edition Coke flavors in colorful cans and bottles. Coke experimented with adding hints of coconut, strawberry, watermelon and other flavors to the drinks.
The latest example, Coca-Cola Happy Tears, contains salt and mineral flavors. It will be sold only through TikTok on Feb. 17 in the U.S. and Great Britain.
Moin said customer research for Coca-Cola Creations fed into the development of Coca-Cola Spiced. It usually takes Coca-Cola at least a year to develop a new beverage, he said, but Coca-Cola Spiced took just seven weeks. Moin said the company hopes to replicate that speed with future new products.
“Consumers are moving faster. The market is moving forward faster. We’ve got to be faster than the speed of the market,” he said.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
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Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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