Prepping for Nestea Transition, Coke Introduces New FUZE Teas, Juices

The Coca-Cola Co. Inc. has introduced a new line of tea and juice drinks for its FUZE brand as it prepares to hand over distribution of Nestea to Nestle Waters North America (NWNA) at the end of 2012. Earlier this year, Coke and NWNA announced that they would alter their 20 year partnership and marketing agreement of the Nestea brand to focus away from North America. Within the announcement, Coke said that it would utilize FUZE as a replacement for Nestea, which has been positioned as the cola giant’s value-branded option within its tea portfolio. The new FUZE offerings include a lemon tea, a tea and lemonade blend, and a strawberry lemonade, and are priced at $.99 for a one-liter bottle.

Here is Coke’s press release announcing the new FUZE line extension:

Brand Poised for Growth with Five New Flavors Hitting Convenience Store Shelves This Month

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)--FUZE® is celebrating a summer of great-tasting refreshment with the introduction of its new collection of teas and juice drinks. The new FUZE line-up features a blend of natural flavors to keep Americans cool and refreshed.

The launch kicks off this summer, with a full offering of fountain and bottle/can package options available by the end of the year. The 1-liter package is available now at convenience stores across the country. The new selections from FUZE include:

  • Lemon Iced Tea
  • Honey and Ginseng Green Tea
  • Half Iced Tea & Half Lemonade
  • Berry Punch Juice Drink
  • Strawberry Lemonade Juice Drink

“Our fans expect vibrant tastes from FUZE and we are excited to add five new flavors to the FUZE family,” said Chris Johnston, Tea Director, Coca-Cola North America. “We expect our new teas and juice drinks will both refresh people and accelerate our momentum in this growth segment.”

FUZE beverages offer consumers a great-tasting source of vitamins B6 and B12,* available in all FUZE products except Honey & Ginseng Green Tea. They are currently available in 1-liter packages affordably priced at $.99 at participating retailers.

Additional FUZE offerings will debut throughout the remainder of 2012.

The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, our Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.

  • ocmarty

    Keep Nestea, that other stuff is gross tasting. Will not purchase another bottle of that junk

  • Dave W.

    I love NESTEA Diet Iced Tea. Drink nothing else. Won’t be trying the new stuff.

  • Nick

    Fuze = YUCK. Bring back the Nestea.
    This “Fuze” stuff is worse than “New Coke.”
    What a mistake.

  • Glenda

    Please bring back NESTEA… I bought 5 bottles of this FUZE iced tea & will be returning 4 of them back. It just dont taste as good as NESTEA.

  • D

    fuze does not taste as good.

  • http://www.facebook.com/TimmObi Timothy ‘Timm’ Obi

    It is the exact same formula they used for the regular can and 2 litter bottles of Nestea. Only the name and label color were changed. Any difference in taste would be a mental issue

  • http://www.facebook.com/TimmObi Timothy ‘Timm’ Obi

    There was no change in the formula. It is the exact same product with a different name. That makes you the mistake.

  • http://www.facebook.com/TimmObi Timothy ‘Timm’ Obi

    Have no idea what you have been drinking but the formula was not changed just the name. It is exactly the same product in regular cans and 2 liter bottles so you would have to be a pretty big dumb fool to think the taste of something would be different just due to a name change

  • http://www.facebook.com/TimmObi Timothy ‘Timm’ Obi

    if you were buying it in 12 oz cans or 2 litter bottles produced by Coca Cola bottlers, the renamed product is the exact same formula. Coke owned those recipes and just licensed the name.Nestea to put on them. Other variations of the product were Nestea owned recipes and should still be produced by them.

  • http://www.facebook.com/TimmObi Timothy ‘Timm’ Obi

    The regular cans and 2 liter bottles of Fuze are the exact same formula
    they used for the Nestea version. The only difference is the name and
    color of the label, so unless you are licking the label or something to
    claim it does not taste as good only makes you look like an idiot..

  • kathy

    bring back nestea diet iced tea, the fuze stinks.

  • http://www.facebook.com/cat.slice Cat Slice

    Sorry, but you are so wrong. Fuze Tea with Lemon tastes absolutely NOTHING like Nestea Tea with Lemon which I’ve been drinking for years. It’s completely different. And looking at the bottles side by side, the ingredients are completely different. It’s not a ‘name change’ as Nestea will be back in 2013.

  • http://twitter.com/The_cLa_ Christopher Arnold

    I have both cans sitting in front of it doesn’t sorry.

  • http://twitter.com/The_cLa_ Christopher Arnold

    I have both cans sitting in front of it doesn’t sorry.

  • cant fool me

    fuze tastes horrible–the coca cola distributer for my store said it was the exact same as the nestea diet ice tea with lemon. I am convinced that coke has convinced their distributers that fuze is the same, but they have not convinced my taste buds. If coke decided to alter their NWNA partnership after 20 years then they made a BIG MISTAKE. In my opinion FUZE WILL BOMB. I will be finding something else to drink.

  • april

    you obviously work for coke cause u dont know what u are talking about they are way different not even close to being the same taste!

  • Eval95

    what in the hell is going on? how can you stop making it? Why not just continue making it and push FUZE the same way? I have had this for 10+ years and it’s what I drink daily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Eval95

    Have you actually TASTED IT Timothy? I read you keep saying it “SHOULD” be the same, but have you had Nestea vs FUZE?

  • Eval95

    You mean Nestea WONT be back in 2013, or ever from the looks of it :(

  • Liza

    Just figured out stores arent selling nestea anymore. Since this fuze stuff was in the exact spot nestea used to be……I bought it. Im so angry. Fuze taste horrible. Please bring back Nestea!!!!

  • Karen from Phila

    My husband and I have been avid Nestea Diet Iced Tea drinkers for years and just opened our last 12 pack of cans. When we were no longer able to find Nestea in our neighborhood stores, we searched outside our area. When we couldn’t find any, we went online and found out why…..that being said, I now have a can of Fuze Diet Iced Tea and a can of Nestea Diet Iced Tea opened and sitting next to each other. My husband and I are tasting both of them together and guess what, if Coca Cola is claiming that the ingredients in Fuze is the same as Nestea, then we have a huge problem. The tea flavor in Fuze is very weak compared to Nestea and Fuze has a stronger lemon flavor than Nestea. Fuze is also very week in taste in general, it tastes like lemon sweetened water (though not like lemonade) Fuze actually tastes like the old fashioned candy lemon-stick that you would stick into a lemon and suck up the juice. We do not have the tea-lemonade flavor, we have the Diet Iced Tea with lemon flavor and it is HORRIBLE!!

    Sadly we purchased 12 cases because we liked Nestea so much and since we read on Coca Cola’s site that Nestea and Fuze were the same, we believed it. NO WAY are they the same. There is a significant taste difference between the two. So sad to be taking back the other 11 unopened cases. Coca Cola just lost a customer. I’ll be making home-made iced tea for now on.

    Just an FYI the ingredients ARE different. I’m reading both labels and Fuze contains 3 more ingredients than the Nestea. Fuze has Pryidoxine Hydrocloride (vitamin B6) , Potassium Citrate and Cyanocobalamin Vitamin B12. Sodium content is 50 mg where Nestea’s was 45 mg Fuze as well as Nestea contains Aspartame, yet Fuze does not put a warning on the label as did Nestea mentioning “Phenylketonurics: contains Phenylalanine”

    THEY ARE NOT THE SAME…. I challange the Coca Cola Company to prove it.

  • DiscoDJ

    The ONLY beverage that I ever drank was Nestea Diet Iced Tea. IT WAS THE BEST!!! As a diabetic, I cannot have the sugar. I would buy it 5 cases at a time, and when it was on sale for .99 cents, I would buy out the display case! PLEASE, bring it back!!!

  • Skyler

    I was so excited to find Fuze Iced Tea on the shelves in my grocery store. Each year I travel to Ecuador where this is distributed by Coke as well and its wonderful. Many who have had it have searched far and wide to find out if Coke was going to distribute it in the USA. I hope many of your comments are incorrect and it is indeed a new formula, the same as I have had in Ecuador. Way to go Coke and Thank you for bringing this product to the USA!

  • Karen

    I am so sorry the company has chosen to quit selling Nestea and Diet Nestea. I have tried the new Fuze and it doesn’t come close to being as good as Nestea. I will continue to search for where I may purchase Nestea. I will not be buying Fuze.

  • lisa

    No matter what people on here are say ying is right nestea and fuze are not the same. In my area nestea was always sold out and now fuze just sits on the shelf.

  • Josh

    actually your the idiot timothy cuz the fuze DOES taste very different from the diet nestea. It’s actually quite horrible compared to the nestea. Go give it a try before you call people names cuz u dont know what ur talking about if u say they taste the same

  • Josh

    have u actually tried the fuze and the nestea? or are u just repeating what u may have heard about the formula? because i urge u to actually go try them and u will see that they taste very different. u are really making a fool outta yourself by saying all these people are wrong about the taste. And by the way, read the article above. It’s not a name change, it’s a completely new product. Nestle still owns and produces nestea. So u are claiming that this fuze crap is illegally infringing upon nestle and producing the identical formula and slapping their name on it? Sounds like ur the big dumb fool.

  • Todd

    I only drink coke products unless there is no other choice. I drank a can of Nestea for lunch every day. Bought Fuze lemon tea and lemonade/tea blend and I am throwing away the remaining cans and switching to Pepsi brand.

  • shell

    Timothy I don’t know what you are smoking but you need to stop as your brain cells are gone !!! I have been drinking nestea for years and this fuze is simply horrible !!! get well soon.

  • Louisville

    Fuze is horrible, horrible! I use to buy Nesta 8 2 liters bottles at a time. I will never buy Fuze in those quantities.
    Bring back our Nestea. If you don’t you will not seeing me buying anymore of your products. I rather drink water.

    I can’t believe this wasn’t tested in the market and if it was, it wasn’t by people who drink Nesta.
    Louisville

  • Doberman

    Have they even tasted Fuze.? It started a big argument at my house when I came home with Fuze. There was no Nestea any longer at my regular chain. I even changed grocery chains, thinking my preferred chain stopped carrying it. Well I found out today there is no more Nestea in my area. So I will now have to figure out what our offered drink of the house will be. based on what I sampled so far, Fuze will never touch my lips. It is bad.

    BRING NESTEA BACK diet with lemon!

  • rad1

    Once again..Coke is messng around with something that works..” New Nestea” anyone? Assclowns..you lost a customer.

  • Sharyn

    Is Nestea Diet Tea coming back or not??? My husband tried the Fuse and hates it. I’m going to have to make it myself to satisfy him. He says the taste is not there no matter what Timm says. Does Timm work for the Coca Cola Company? Sounds like he’s a
    promoter. They should give him all the returned cases of Fuse.

  • lisa

    Bring back my diet nestea. Fuze tastes like flavored water.

  • marsha

    I just found this at Walmart in Mayodan NC.I love it!

  • yolanda beltran

    bring back the best tea in the world…..nestea……fuze is not the same…ugh

  • http://www.facebook.com/robert.tarr.12 Robert Tarr

    i used to buy two cases of Nestea per week,at walmart.i tried Fuze and will never purchase another single can let alone a case,when ever i go to walmart i see Fuze untouched, bring back the Nestea.

  • leanora

    Tim obviously works fro Coca Cola because he has no idea what he’s talking about. Fuze tastes like dirty sewer water. It’s awful, I tasted it bc Nestea wasn’t around anymore and I expected it to taste ok but I was so wrong. I actually called Coke for a refund and answers. It is not the same recipe and anyone who thinks so is lying to themselves. Fuze will not sell ! Coke made a big mistake and now we all have to find another drink to get. Timothy must not have any taste buds left from drinking that disgusting fuze cuz he is so blatantly wrong! He needs to shut up and stop trying to convince us that we are all wrong.

  • sanjulee

    DIdn’t know about the change and purchased my first 12 pack of FUZE. . .it will be my last! It has NO taste and doesn’t taste anything like Diet Nestea. Coke lost my business on this one!

Have news? Have a new product? Tell us