NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co. will launch a new line of ready-to-drink coffee under the Godiva brand name in the second half of 2006, according to a report in an industry newsletter.

Spokesmen at both Coke (Research) and Campbell Soup Co. (Research), which makes Godiva chocolates, refused to confirm or deny the report.

At an investor conference in New York on Wednesday, Coke marketing chief Mary Minnick said the company intends to launch "indulgence coffees" in North America next year. Trade magazine Beverage Digest said those coffees will be sold under the Godiva brand name, citing unidentified sources.

"It is a very strong trademark that is well known to consumers and it makes a lot of sense," said John Sicher, editor of the trade magazine Beverage Digest.

Godiva already sells premium coffees in various flavors.

Wall Street has been expecting more action from Coke in the small but fast-growing and high-margin ready-to-drink coffee segment.

The bottled and canned coffee market stands at about 40 million cases a year. It grew at a rate of more than 15 percent in 2004, according to Beverage Digest data.

PepsiCo Inc. (Research)'s Starbucks Frappuccino and DoubleShot account for more than 88 percent of the market, according to Beverage Digest. Volume sales of Starbucks Frappuccino jumped 22 percent last year, according to Beverage Digest. PepsiCo tied up with Starbucks in the mid-1990s to make coffee beverages.

Coca-Cola several years ago acquired a bottled coffee brand called Planet Java, folding it into a joint venture with Swiss food giant Nestle. But the drink floundered and was shelved.