Coca-Cola to discontinue iconic Minute Maid frozen juice products — here's why

For decades, frozen juice concentrate has been a staple of major grocery stores. However, that will no longer be the case in Canada, as Coca-Cola's Minute Maid brand is discontinuing its frozen juice concentrate products by April of this year, CBC reported.

What's happening?

Last year, the Canadian company Lassonde left the frozen juice concentrate market, pulling its products from shelves. 

This year, Minute Maid will be doing the same in Canada.

These were the two major suppliers of frozen juice concentrate in Canada, so Canadian consumers will likely be completely unable to buy frozen juice concentrate. Minute Maid will also be unavailable in the United States.

According to a Coca-Cola spokesperson, this move is "in response to shifting consumer preferences," CBC reported.

Both the brand-name and generic products being pulled within a year of one another "sends a clear signal that the problem is not branding or pricing, but that the product has very low market demand," said Zhe Zhang, an assistant professor of marketing from Western University's Ivey Business School, per CBC.

"Even the most basic version of the product is no longer going to be sustainable in the marketplace. It really indicates that the product is approaching the end of its lifecycle."

Why is it important that this product is being discontinued?

The main reason the frozen juice concentrate is leaving the shelves, according to CBC, is that it has grown less popular, along with juice in general. Consumers are substituting with other refreshing drinks. Many of these come in plastic containers, which are unhealthy and bad for the environment due to microplastics.

Coca-Cola is known as a major plastic polluter for this reason. It is recommended that soda lovers opt for glass bottles whenever possible. 

What's being done about potential alternatives?

Gary Sands, senior vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, sees an opportunity here for Canadian businesses.

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"When we're looking at multinational companies discontinuing the line of products in Canada, I think the way we have to look at it now is the glass being half-full and not half-empty of orange juice here," he said to CBC.

"When product lines like this disappear, it does offer an opportunity to small and medium-sized Canadian companies to enter a market or to [develop] a product line."

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