Fresca
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Type | Soft Drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Introduced | 1963 |
| Related products | Fanta |
Fresca is a brand of citrus soft drink made by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in the United States in 1963, the drink is now sold throughout the world, although it is not widely available outside of North America. Unlike other Coke products, it does not have a Pepsi equivalent (although in many markets, Pepsico licenses, produces and distributes "Diet Squirt," a very similar beverage owned by Dr Pepper & Seven-Up, Inc.).
Fresca means "fresh" (feminine form) in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.
Contents |
[edit] History
Since its inception, Fresca has been marketed in the United States as a calorie-free, grapefruit-flavored soft drink, ostensibly catering to discriminating adult tastes. Fresca underwent several major ingredient changes since its introduction. The drink was originally sweetened with cyclamates, which were banned by the FDA in 1969, and the banned ingredient was replaced with saccharin. However, in 1985, the saccharin was replaced by NutraSweet-brand aspartame. More recently, around the time of the 2005 redesign, acesulfame potassium was added as a secondary sweetener.
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote that Fresca was the favorite drink of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had a button installed on the desk in the White House's Oval Office which would summon his military aide to bring the drink. In addition, Fresca was the favorite drink of the expansion teams in the NHL during the 1967 season; therefore, Fresca was originally slated to be the sponsor to the NHL the following year. However, the NHL board of governors rejected the proposed sponsorship; this may have played a role in Fresca's failure to break through to the mainstream.
In Latin America, Coca-Cola markets an entirely different soft drink under the Fresca brand name. This drink is grapefruit-flavored, but contains sugar. It is similar to the Squirt soft drink marketed in the United States by Dr Pepper & Seven-Up, Inc. In 1997 Coca-Cola, which had had requests for "Mexican Fresca" from immigrant communities, launched the soft drink throughout the U.S. as Citra. However this was not successful as a separate product line, and that drink is now sold as the Citrus flavor in the Fanta line in areas with a large Hispanic populations. The name may have been confusing for Latin American consumers, as "agua fresca" is a common local beverage.
For years, Fresca maintained somewhat of a cult following, similar to Tab, consisting of people who had grown up with the drink, yet it didn't obtain major market appeal. Around the turn of the century (2000), however, Fresca grew in popularity somewhat organically, enough so that it was sufficiently popular for Coca-Cola to take notice.
In 2005, Coca-Cola gave Fresca a more contemporary look, Fresca's first makeover since 1995. Fresca advertising continues to emphasize sophistication.
During this redesign, two new flavors were introduced (Sparkling Peach Citrus and Sparkling Black Cherry Citrus) and the original grapefruit flavor was renamed Sparkling Citrus. Subsequently, "Sparkling" was dropped from the name of the first two flavors and the original flavor renamed Original Citrus.
[edit] Flavors of Fresca
[edit] North America
- Sparkling Citrus (new name for original "Grapefruit" flavor with product redesign in 2005, later renamed Original Citrus)
- Sparkling Black Cherry (new with product redesign in 2005, "Sparkling" later dropped from name)
- Sparkling Peach Citrus (new with product redesign in 2005, "Sparkling" later dropped from name)
[edit] Other Countries
- Cherry Citrus
- Citrus Lime
- Grapefruit
- Grapefruit Mint
- Lemon Lime
[edit] Availability
- Algeria
- Bolivia
- Canada
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Honduras
- Iceland
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- United States
- Perú (tres chanchitos - la molina)
[edit] Ingredients
North American:
- Carbonated water
- Citric acid
- Concentrated Grapefruit juice
- Potassium citrate
- Potassium benzoate and EDTA (preservatives)
- Aspartame
- Acesulfame potassium
- Acacia
- Natural flavors
- Glycerol ester of wood rosin
- Brominated vegetable oil
- Carob bean gum
Mexican:
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Concentrated Grapefruit juice
- Essential grapefruit oil
- Potassium citrate
- Potassium benzoate and EDTA (preservatives)
[edit] Popular Culture References
- In the "Guitar Queer-O" episode of Comedy Central's TV show South Park, Kyle and Stan meet at the bowling alley where Stan performs on a Guitar Hero machine in the arcade area for guests. Stan mentions that he gets free Fresca for playing Guitar Hero.
- In the HBO TV show True Blood, Vampire Bill Compton offers warm Fresca to the Police officer who come to interrogate him for recent deaths around their fictional town, Bon Temps.
- In the "Curious George" episode of Dead Like Me, Roxy complains her orange juice tastes weird, and after having a taste, Betty replies: "it tastes like Fresca"
- In "Caddyshack", Judge Smails asks Danny if he'd like a drink... "How 'bout a Fresca!"
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
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