Our love for traditional soft drinks is not diminishing, after all, cola and fruit-flavoured carbonates still account for 56% of soft drinks sales through foodservice1. What is changing is the demand for more flavours. 1/3 of 16-24 year olds have consumed a Carbonated Soft drink in the last month in order to try a new flavour2, and in Cola 20% of all Cola sales come from Flavoured Colas3. However, there is growing demand for flavour twists on the classics, particularly from younger drinkers.
Last year Pepsi launched colas with a traditional twist of Strawberries ‘N’ Cream and Cream Soda flavours, inspired by the fact that flavoured cola is growing three times faster than unflavoured cola. Tango, meanwhile, has unveiled Thirst Trap, a sugar-free cheeky blend of Peach, Pineapple & Orange with Tango’s signature tang. This year we will see more launches in Cola base on classic Ice Cream flavours designed specifically to satisfy the need for something different for the Gen Z consumer
Source
- CGA by Nielsen IQ, Foodservice, Volume and Value Data, Soft Drinks Britvic Defined, MAT to 31.01.2026
- GlobalData Flavours and Functions report Sept 2025
- Nielsen IQ Total Convenience Value sales, plain cola vs flavoured cola, MAT to 09.05.2026
