Coca-Cola is replacing Coke Zero with a new drink

How Coke gets consumers to pay more for less soda
How Coke gets consumers to pay more for less soda

If you love Coke Zero, you'd better stock up on it: Coca-Cola is ditching the drink.

Coke Zero will be replaced by a new sugar-free drink called Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Coke announced Wednesday.

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has already been a success in 25 markets around the world, including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Next month, it will be the United States' turn: the new drink will be coming to America in August.

So, what's the difference between Coke Zero and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar?

They are both sugar-free alternatives to Diet Coke, but Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is said to taste more like original Coke. They both have mostly black packaging, but Coca-Cola Zero Sugar sports the iconic red Coca-Cola disc.

coke zero

Coca-Cola said it wanted to be as "clear and descriptive as possible" in the name change to make sure consumers knew the drink was sugar-free.

In a call with investors Wednesday morning, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey called the new drink a "reinvention of Coke Zero."

The revamp comes as the beverage industry tries to tap into consumers' dwindling consumption of high-sugar and high-calorie drinks. U.S. soda sales fell to a 30-year low in 2016, according to Beverage Digest.

Last year, Coca-Cola's competitor PepsiCo announced plans to have 100 or fewer calories for two thirds of its single-serving drinks by 2025.

Coke Zero, which made its debut in 2005, was one of the top 10 soda brands in 2016. Sales grew by 3.5%. But Coca-Cola Zero Sugar grew by double-digits globally, and Coke expects the new drink to pop in the United Sates as well.

Shares of Coca-Cola (KO) rose slightly Wednesday.

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