Fresca
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| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1966 |
| Flavor | Black Cherry, Cherry Citrus, Citrus Lime, Grapefruit, Grapefruit Mint, Lemon, Lime and Peach[1] |
| Variants | Fresca 1 |
| Related products | Fanta |
Fresca is a diet citrus soft drink made by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in the United States in 1966, the drink is now sold throughout the American continent.
Fresca means "fresh" (feminine form) in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.
History
Since its introduction in 1966, Fresca has been marketed in the United States as a calorie-free, grapefruit-flavored soft drink,[2] ostensibly catering to discriminating adult tastes. In ads[clarification needed] it was described as an "imitation, citrus-flavored, artificially sweetened dietary beverage"[citation needed]. Fresca underwent several major ingredient changes since its introduction. The drink was originally sweetened with cyclamates, which were banned by the FDA in 1969, and the banned ingredient was replaced with saccharin. However, in 1985, the saccharin was replaced by NutraSweet-brand aspartame. More recently, around the time of the 2005 redesign, acesulfame potassium was added as a secondary sweetener.
American President Lyndon B. Johnson had a soda fountain containing Fresca installed in the Oval Office.[3]
In Latin America, Coca-Cola markets an entirely different soft drink under the Fresca brand name. This drink is grapefruit-flavored, but contains sugar. Colombia is the only country in which this drink is distributed with the name Quatro using Fresca's same colors, logos and stickers.
Fresca was made available in South Africa during the early 1990s with a series of colourful ads featuring Hakeem Kae-Kazim with the slogan, "Nothing tastes like Fresca." The soft drink developed a cult following but sales were discontinued.
Fresca belongs to the family of citrus-flavored sodas. It is similar to Dr Pepper's Squirt. In 1997 Coca-Cola, which had requests for "Mexican Fresca" from immigrant communities, launched the soft drink throughout the U.S. as Citra. However this was not successful as a separate product line, and that drink is now sold as the Citrus flavor in The Coca-Cola Company's Fanta line in areas with large Hispanic populations.
Fresca has so far managed to defend its niche of the market, and, like Tab, can rely on a relatively small but loyal customer base.
Fresca packaging has been redesigned several times, although advertising continues to emphasize sophistication. In 2005, Coca-Cola gave Fresca a more contemporary look, Fresca's first makeover since 1995. During this redesign, two new flavors were introduced (Sparkling Peach Citrus and Sparkling Black Cherry Citrus) and the original grapefruit flavor was renamed Sparkling Citrus.[4] Later, "Sparkling" was dropped and the original flavor was renamed Original Citrus. Several additional flavors have been added to the line-up since 2005.
Flavors of Fresca
According to Coca-Cola, the following flavors of Fresca are marketed today:[5]
- Black Cherry
- Original Citrus
- Cherry Citrus
- Citrus Lime
- Grapefruit Mint
- Lemon Lime
- Peach
Availability
- Algeria
- Argentina (known as "Quatro")
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil (comingsoon)
- Bulgaria (International markets)
- Canada
- Colombia (known as "Quatro")
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Honduras
- Iceland
- India (coming soon)
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Peru (available in Tres Chanchitos - La Molina)
- Philippines (coming soon)
- South Africa (supply ended circa 2004)
- United States
Ingredients
North America:
- Carbonated water
- Citric acid
- Concentrated Grapefruit juice
- Potassium citrate
- Potassium benzoate and EDTA (preservatives)
- Aspartame
- Acesulfame potassium
- Acacia
- Natural flavors
- Glycerol ester of wood rosin
- Brominated vegetable oil
- Carob bean gum
Mexico:
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Concentrated pink Grapefruit juice
- Essential grapefruit oil
- Potassium citrate
- Potassium benzoate and EDTA (preservatives)
References
- ^ "Fresca Product Description". coca-cola.com. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^ "Cocal-Cola - Grands - Brand Fact Sheets". Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ "Youtube: Million Dollar Question WRONG! - Who Wants to be a Millionaire". Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ "COCA-COLA NORTH AMERICA ANNOUNCES FRESCA MAKEOVER: Two New Line Extensions To Accompany New Look For Venerable Brand" (Press release). Coca-Cola North America. 25 May 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ "Cocal-Cola - Grands - Brand Fact Sheets". Retrieved 17 September 2010.
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2007) |
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