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You would think after decades of warnings from doctors and nutrition experts about the dangers of drinking sugary sodas, Coca-Cola would have very few fans by now, but the reality is that more than 1.9 billion people around the world consume their beverages every day.
Still, with the shift towards healthier food and drinks with more daring flavor combinations, Coca-Cola has recently struggled to break into that market with their soda offerings.
After careful consideration, they finally felt ready to meet the demands of their younger fans by launching their first new flavor in more than a decade.
On Monday, February 25, Orange Vanilla Coke and Orange Vanilla Coke Zero will hit store shelves for the first time. The new flavor will join Cherry Coke, which was released in 1995, and Vanilla coke, which made its debut in 2007.
Getting to a decision about the flavor was no easy feat as the developers tested lemon, raspberry, and ginger Coke before settling on Orange Vanilla, which was inspired by Creamsicles we all grew up eating on those "carefree summer days."
"We wanted to bring back positive memories of carefree summer days," said Coca-Cola brand director Kate Carpenter. "That's why we leaned into the orange-vanilla flavor combination "” which is reminiscent of the creamy orange popsicles we grew up loving, but in a classically Coke way."
The new beverages will be available anywhere Coca-Cola products are sold in 12 ounce cans and 20 ounce plastic bottles. You will also be able to score the half-liter six-pack of the taller cans for a limited time only, between March and May.
The new bold flavor will be at Wendy's Freestyle soda fountains until the end of the NCAA March Madness after which they will be available in all Freestyle machines.
If you're wondering about the taste, Coke is confident its customers will love the new flavor because it had already been released in Canada last summer and it did well there.