It seems Coca-Cola has grown sick of stomaching Poppi and Olipop’s success with “gut-healthy” sodas – so the legacy brand is launching its own prebiotic drinks.
Coca-Cola’s Simply prebiotic sodas will be sold in five fruity flavors: Strawberry, Pineapple Mango, Fruit Punch, Lime and Citrus Punch.
The prebiotic drinks — pitched as beneficial to digestive health — will be available later this month at retailers in select regions and via Amazon Fresh.
“We found that consumers, especially wellness-focused Gen Z-ers and Millennials, were really interested in juice and prebiotic sodas,” Becca Kerr, chief executive of nutrition at Coca-Cola, said in a statement.
“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,” she added.
As health and wellness trends have grown more popular among young consumers, soda consumption has dropped – benefitting prebiotic soda startups like Olipop and Poppi.
The “healthy” soft drink market in the US has exploded from a $197 million category in 2020 to a $440 million industry in 2024, according to Euromonitor International data.
A $50 million funding round last week valued Olipop, which was founded in 2018, at $1.85 billion, the company said.
Poppi’s exact valuation is unclear. The company last raised $25 million in a Series B funding round in 2022, and recently splurged on its second Super Bowl commercial in a row – which ran for up to $8 million per 30-second slot this year.
Coca-Cola’s new drinks will contain Vitamin C and Zinc, to boost the immune system, and six grams of prebiotic fiber, to support gut health.
Soda companies have found themselves in hot water over claims that the fizzy drinks are better for gut health than they truly are. Poppi is currently in settlement talks over a lawsuit filed last May accusing the company of misleading advertising.
The new drinks are made from real fruit juice and contain no added sugars.
The fruity flavors are a nod to the Simply brand’s origin as an orange juice company, launched in 2001 – another attempt to hook Gen Z customers.
“Gen Z grew up with this brand,” Terika Fasakin, senior director of North America for Simply and Kids, said in a statement. “They don’t remember a world where Simply doesn’t exist, and it’s the juice they’ve seen in the fridge throughout their lives, so it has a particular tug on their heartstrings.”
