Indian fruit farmers have struggled to maintain sales of their fruit. © Neil Palmer/CIAT/Flickr
Coca-Cola will launch a new carbonated juice drink in India, after the country’s prime minister called upon the company to step in and support its domestic fruit farmers.
The soft drinks giant will launch the new product this week. It is described as a “juice with fizz formulation” that contains 10.4% juice concentrate, which is produced locally by farmers and pulp processors.
“The launch of this product gives us a sense of satisfaction, since it was a significant R&D challenge to begin with,” Coca-Cola explained in a letter sent to the country’s food processing ministry. “The juice with fizz formulation poses challenges of product stability and preservation.”
In September 2014, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, asked both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to help Indian farmers increase their fruit sales by adding fresh fruit juices to their carbonated portfolio within the Indian market.
“Modi had said that, as millions of people buy Pepsi and Coke, the companies could put 5% natural juice in their drinks and it would help farmers make a lot of money and not throw their fruits away,” the British newspaper The Daily Mail reported.
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