LOOK: Coke's newest sugar-free, low-sugar drinks

TOLUCA, Mexico - Softdrink lovers in North America now have more choices for their sweet fix, without sugar, one of the causes of diabetes.

Coca-Cola Sin Azucar, which literally translates to "no sugar" was launched in this North American country where Coca-Cola FEMSA runs one of its largest manufacturing plants.

The Sin Azucar can looks like a regular Coke can, except for the slim black band around the top lid and a similarly colored tab.

It replaced sugar-free Coke Zero here, and was formulated to taste very much like the regular variant, said Coca-Cola FEMSA corporate communications manager Juan Carlos Cortes.

"Every place is different. We improve the formula," Cortes said, adding the proportions of ingredients for Coke Sin Azucar were different from Coke Zero.

Coke variants are made from water, simple syrup made from water and sugar, sugar substitute or artificial sweeteners, and a secret blend from the company that gives the product its unique taste.

"If you make a switch in one of those products, you need to make sure the brand is going to get accepted," Cortes said.

"So you don't go through the new Coke kind of thing that we saw in the 80s," he said, referring to a reformulation that wasn't received well by some consumers.

In the neighboring US, Coke also launched the 90-calorie Coke Life, which is sweetened using a blend of Sugar and Stevia.


There was no immediate plan to bring Coke Sin Azucar or Coke Life to the Philippines, where sugar-free options include Coke Zero and Coke Light, Cortes said.

"It's a difficult decision to make because the bottlers and the Coca-Cola Company have to get together and determine what they're going to bring in," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Coca-Cola buys Brazil's Spaipa for $1.855-B

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's Coca-Cola FEMSA, the largest Coke bottler in the world, announced Saturday it has acquired Spaipa of Brazil in a $1.855 billion deal.

The all-cash transaction will increase Coca-Cola FEMSA's volume by 40 percent in Brazil.

Although it has been approved by Coca-Cola FEMSA's board of directors, the deal is still subject to the approval of Brazil's antitrust authority. Coca-Cola FEMSA will also try to obtain the approval of The Coca-Cola company.

From June 2012 to June 2013, Spaipa sold 233.3 million cases of beverages, including beer, for $905 million in net revenue.

"We continue to create a robust platform in Brazil with the acquisition of the second largest privately owned bottler in the system, operating in one of the regions with the highest GDP per capita in the country," Coca-Cola FEMSA chief executive Carlos Salazar Lomelin said in a statement.

"We are privileged to serve as many consumers in Brazil as we do in Mexico, and our company will benefit from the talented and experienced employees of the Spaipa franchise."

The deal comes on the heels of Coca-Cola FEMSA's purchase of Brazilian Coke bottler Companhia Fluminense de Refrigerantes for $448 million.

Coca-Cola FEMSA produces and distributes Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Del Valle and other beverages from The Coca-Cola Company in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala ,Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the Philippines and Venezuela.

The company has 63 bottling facilities and serves more than 321 million consumers through 2,700,000 retailers with more than 100,000 employees worldwide.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Mexico's Coca-Cola hopes to finalize PH acquisition by year-end

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's Coca-Cola Femsa said on Wednesday that if its planned acquisition of a controlling stake in Coca-Cola Co operations in Philippines succeeds it will open the doors to other markets in Asia.

The company, a joint venture of Coca-Cola Co and Mexico's Femsa, added that while there are limited purchase chances left in Latin America, it will continue to tread the region for opportunities.

Coca-Cola Femsa , Latin America's biggest coke bottler, said third-quarter profit jumped 53 percent on recent acquisitions and it hoped to decide on another purchase in the Philippines by year-end.

The company said earnings increased to 3.54 billion pesos ($276 million) from 2.31 billion pesos a year earlier.




The results beat market expectations. Analysts polled by Reuters were looking for earnings of 3.15 billion pesos. Revenue jumped 20 percent to 36.19 billion pesos, helped by the integration of Mexican rivals Grupo Tampico, Grupo CIMSA and Grupo Fomento Queretano, the company said. About 1,000 people have been laid off as a result of these transactions so far this year and more headcount reduction could take place in the current quarter, the company said.

Philippines deal

The company, which is in talks to buy a controlling stake in Coca-Cola Co operations in the Philippines, said it expected a decision on the deal by year-end.
"We think it has a very good potential ... we are finalizing negotiations with Coca-Cola Co. As they say in baseball, it's not over till it's over," the company said during a conference call with analysts Wednesday morning.

This deal could mean the beginning of more activity in Asia for the Mexican company although it did not give details about a possible next target.

Coca-Cola Femsa added during the call that while there were limited purchase chances left in Latin America, it would continue to tread the region for more opportunities.

The company operates in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina.
Analysts have said acquisitions combined with more-stable prices of raw materials have greatly helped the company's results in recent quarters.

"After facing a very tough commodity and volatile currency environment over the past several quarters, we look forward to a strong close of the year," said Carlos Salazar, chief executive officer.

Coca-Cola Femsa shares, up 29 percent so far this year, rose 0.34 percent to 172.26 pesos on Wednesday.

 source: abs-cbnnews.com