Latest news with #PumpkinSpiceLatte
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Sprite's ‘off-putting' new mashup is finally for sale
Much like the highly competitive world of fast food, the beverage space is also overflowing with brands trying to figure out the answer to a key question: how to get you to spend money on its products, not just once, but time and time again. In the fast-food space, a common tactic is to constantly bombard customers with something new. Sometimes that looks like fancy collaborations with influential celebrities, such as Korean band BTS collaborating with McDonald's for a limited-edition meal or Charli XCX making her own signature drink for Dunkin' Donuts. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Other times, it just looks like debuting a new seasonal menu full of items that make people "ooh and ahh." Starbucks is the master of this tactic, which is so well-executed that fans wait with bated breath for each year's drop (especially every fall for the brand's legendary Pumpkin Spice Latte, along with whatever new flavors Starbucks has managed to dream up). While it's not quite as impressive as a whole new menu, beverage companies also try to move with the seasons, offering things like Coca-Cola's new Orange Cream flavor, which is now being sold in stores. And speaking of Coca-Cola, it's also testing out a new flavor for its lemon-lime classic Sprite, and it sounds like a pretty unusual mashup. Back in January, Coca-Cola announced a new flavor of Sprite that was inspired by a viral TikTok trend where people popped a tea bag into their soda and steeped it for 20 minutes to see how it changed the flavor. Simply called Sprite + Tea, the drink is now available on store shelves and comes in both regular and zero sugar options. The release was flagged by food blogger Markie Devo, who posted about it on his X account on May 19 with a note that the drink had been spotted early at Walmart stores. Redditors who had tried the new flavor took to the message board's soda subreddit to discuss their takes on it, which ranged from positive to less than impressed. Related: How one brand is transforming the THC soda industry "I like it a lot I'm not a tea lover but this was a great drink and will be in my summer rotation!!" wrote user Lou-Lineas69. "Torn on this one - flavor is not bad, but I can't get over carbonated iced tea, and I was not ready for how that hit," wrote user Nhblacklabs. However, user HighwayStar77 was less than impressed, saying, "It has a very off-putting artificial tea flavor. Somehow doesn't taste very sweet, even with something outrageous like 65 grams of sugar. Imagine a watered-down brisk mixed with a cheap club soda. Not a fan. I had the plastic bottle version so maybe the canned version will taste better." While the legacy soda company is not making huge gains right now, it's still in the green when it comes to profit. Coca-Cola reported a net revenue growth of 3 percent for 2024 and 6 percent for the year during its earnings call on February 11. That's great news, especially in an economic climate where people are pulling back on unnecessary spending in the shadow of President Trump's tariffs. And speaking of tariffs, it sounds like Cola-Cola may be one company that's very well-positioned to weather them. In a recent interview with CNBC, Cola-Cola CEO James Quincy said that the company is "a profoundly local business from an operational point of view," and that "drinks in the U.S. are made by American workers in American factories." Thanks to that, the iconic company is not feeling the pinch as much as other companies that rely heavily on imports. "Our exposure to import/export, on a global basis, on a trade basis, is actually relatively low," Quincy said. Related: Anheuser-Busch brings back cult favorite beer The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Hindustan Times
11-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
American tourist reveals 6 culture shocks she's faced in Montenegro: No McDonald's and more
Nestled between rugged mountains and the shimmering Adriatic Sea, Montenegro is a hidden gem of the Balkans. This small country in southeastern Europe is known for its natural beauty and medieval towns, receiving millions of tourists every year. However, as with any other country, there are things about Montenegro that will shock the average tourist. Travel vlogger Helene Sula revealed six such things – or 'culture shocks' – that Americans will experience if they travel to Montenegro. Her Instagram video, titled 'Things in Montenegro that would send an American into a coma,' reveals the many ways in which life in the Balkan nation is different from the US. For Helene, the first and most shocking thing she experienced was people starting their day with a shot of liquor - rakia, to be more precise. Rakia is a type of fruit brandy that is popular across the Balkan nations, and the American woman was shocked to see people consuming it before breakfast. Smoking in Montenegro is still prevalent and popular. In fact, unlike the US, smoking indoors is allowed. Next, she spoke about the lack of popular food chains in the country - Montenegro has no Starbucks or McDonald's. 'If you're craving a Big Mac or a Pumpkin Spice Latte, too bad. There are no McDonald's or Starbucks chains here. And there are no Apple stores either, not even in the capital Podgorica,' she revealed. A post shared by Helene Sula - Travel and Lifestyle Blogger (@heleneinbetween) For Helene, another culture shock was the belief in Montenegro that air conditioning can make people sick. 'I've had so many people tell me they got sick from their air conditioning,' she said in her Instagram post. She was also surprised to find that people in the small European country did not smile or greet each other, even a little. 'It's not rude, it's just the Balkan way,' she clarified. Finally, she was shocked by the country's driving culture, where tiny cliffside roads are navigated with no guardrails. To top it all, the locals drive fast - fast like 'they are in the Fast and Furious,' revealed Helene. She ended her post with a word of appreciation for the country's 'insane beauty.'
Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Coca-Cola created its own rival in popular drink space
Business Coca-Cola created its own rival in popular drink space In many industries, rivals face neck-and-neck competition with one another. But there's a special edge to those vying for customer attention in the beverage space. Much like food, beverage requires an elegant balancing act: make something new, but also familiar. Make it eye-catching, but not too much so. Make it healthy, but not so much that it's unpleasant to drink. Don't miss the move: SIGN UP for TheStreet's FREE Daily newsletter Starbucks is quite good at this game, drumming up a $94 billion market cap that some might say was built on the back of the mighty Pumpkin Spice Latte. But of course, there's a king among all the others, and it's Coca-Cola. Originally founded in 1886 in Atlanta, Dr. John Pemberton served the world's first Coca‑Cola at Jacobs' Pharmacy, and a legend was born. Today, 1.9 billion people drink a Coke product each day all around the world. A visit to the Coca-Cola Museum (located in Atlanta, naturally) will show you just how rich the history of the brand is - not to mention how many drinks it's created. One of the museum's most fun features is a room at the end where you can try Coca-Cola products from different countries. While not all of them have the zing of a freshly opened Coke, it's fascinating to see what a powerful impact Coke and its products have had across the world. But no huge business is immune from making mistakes. And a move Coke made in 2022 may have accidentally launched a rival. Seth Goldman, Co-Founder of Honest Tea, before the product was rebranded as Just Ice Tea. Image source: Ottesen/Washington Post via Getty Images The remarkable story of Just Ice Tea Those of us who grew up in the South and cannot bear a summer day without a cup of iced tea may have been fans of Honest Tea, as it was originally called when it was launched in 1998 by then-Yale student Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff, his professor. More Restaurants The idea was to create an organic tea that was not cloyingly sweet, and Goldman and Nalebuff succeeded. So much so, in fact, that the company caught the eye of Coca-Cola, which first bought 40% of Honest Tea in 2008 for $43 million, then purchased the company outright in 2011. In 2022, however, Goldman was taken aback when Coke decided to discontinue Honest Tea. In an interview with New Hope, and despite what was surely a great disappointment, Goldman said at the time that he had no regrets. "We built Honest Tea with intention, and so the intention is still there," he also said. "As long as Coke was producing it, it was still manifesting itself out in the world. Once that stopped, we need to make sure that it continues to do so." Clearly Goldman's intention was a powerful one. The company rebranded the product, becoming Just Ice Tea instead. And now, three years after Coke discontinued the product, it's become the ninth best-selling tea in the U.S. grocery channel - actually beating Coke's Peace Tea brand, per NIQ data. "This shows we were right to believe in [this], and I think the folks at Coca-Cola just missed the opportunity and weren't able to capitalize on it the right way," Goldman said in an interview with Fooddive. Just Ice Tea sales came in at $16 million in 2023, which was its first full year on the market. For 2025, the news is even better: the company is forecast to top $30 million this year. Also, new partnerships have been struck to put the brand in Target, CVS, and selected Walmarts, significantly broadening its reach while making those of us who love a lightly sweet tea very, very happy. Related: McDonald's launches a bold new restaurant concept The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc. This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 2:33 PM.
