News
Growing our portfolio with alcohol
26/04/2023
Stephen Lusk
This week marks the European launch of the new collaboration between The Coca-Cola Company and Brown-Forman - which produces, markets, and distributes fine spirits and wines - to bring ready to drink Jack Daniel’s & Coca‑Cola to consumers in Europe.
Inspired by the classic bar cocktail, Jack Daniel’s & Coca‑Cola Ready-to-Drink (RTD) is a pre-mixed cocktail made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Coca-Cola. It’s a partnership between two iconic brands, and we’re excited start introducing it across our markets in Europe, beginning with Great Britain, the Netherlands and Spain. Other markets will follow over the next year. In Great Britain we’ll also launch Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, with the variant rolled out to more markets next year.
Alongside our partners, we’re always listening to consumers to understand what they want and it’s clear there is significant demand for ready to drink alcohol mixers. Jack Daniel’s & Coca‑Cola RTD is perfectly suited to meet that demand, and will create value for our customers. It will also see CCEP further build our footprint in the alcohol category as we explore additional sources of growth beyond our core range of products.
We’re focused on providing consumers with a wide choice of drinks, in a range of packs size and types, with or without sugar.
We want to offer a great product for all the different drinking occasions our consumers enjoy throughout the day.
That includes looking at how we can offer more choice for adult consumers who are socialising at home or out and about with a range of products and collaborations in the alcohol category - particularly through flavoured alcoholic beverages.
The ready to drink alcohol category is growing and is now worth nearly €1 billion in value in our European markets. As the world largest Coca-Cola bottler, we’re perfectly placed to grow our offer in this category and create more value for our customers and shareholders. Here are two key ways we’re doing that:
We pride ourselves on the quality of our execution across our channels - and we’re taking that mindset to alcohol.
Key Collaborations
As demonstrated by the launch of Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola RTD, partnerships and collaborations are a key way to build our presence in the category. We’re excited to bring Jack Daniel’s & Coca‑Cola cocktail as a branded, ready-to-drink pre-mixed cocktail to our markets.
It’s a perfect match, rooted in what consumers want and enjoy.
Creating perfect pairings
We pride ourselves on the quality of our execution across our channels - and we’re taking that mindset to alcohol.
Our teams are working with customers to create attractive displays at key in-store locations to present our great brands alongside complementary alcoholic drinks. In Germany we’ve created pop-ups displays for Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels. And in Spain we’ve secured key shelf space at the end of the spirits aisle for our premium mixer brand, Royal Bliss and other products that work well as mixers.
This approach is helping us drive additional sales, with new consumers who may not normally shop in the soft drinks aisle.
We’re taking the same approach online, where we’re working with customers to promote our mixer products alongside certain spirits. In GB, we’ve created great spirits and mixer bundles on our direct to consumer platform yourcoca-cola.co.uk.
Importantly, we’re also working with our restaurant, café and bar customers to bring our mixers to consumers.
Both CCEP and The Coca-Cola Company recognise our entry into the alcohol category brings new responsibilities, which we take very seriously. The Coca-Cola Company has developed a policy on Alcohol Responsibility. In line with this policy, we aim to grow our alcohol brands in a responsible and sustainable way and prohibit marketing to people under the legal purchasing age.
I’m excited by the potential growth opportunities for CCEP in the alcohol category, and I’m confident we have the brands, partnerships and people to succeed in the category. Keep an eye out for more news on how we’re expanding into alcohol, and offering consumers even more choice.
Please drink responsibly.