Xoca

Xoca is an all natural prebiotic soda made with upcycled cacao fruit that has dubbed itself as “The Good Soda.” The line, which has been rebranded since we first reviewed it in 2020, is available in two flavors, Cacaofruit & Cherry and Cacaofruit & Ginger, in 12 ounce cans.

Inside the can, both SKUs are made with sparkling water, reduced cacao fruit juice and other juices totalling over 30% juice, plus natural flavors and stevia. The cacao fruit juice adds flavor, sweetness, B vitamins, calcium, electrolytes and 2 grams of fiber per 12 ounce can. The end result are formulations that have 70 calories and 15 grams of sugar (0 grams added sugar) per can.

As for the liquid, cacaofruit is the dominant flavor across the two SKUs. This gives the drink a slightly tart, tropical, sweet and earthy taste.  From there, the additional flavors are added, but they very much are accents.  Their choice of flavors is pretty good, with Cacaofruit & Ginger having a mellow spice and Cacaofruit & Cherry adding a nice note of tart cherry flavor at the finish. 

While the flavor is enjoyable and different, we wonder if it is a bit too heavy on the cacao fruit – even though they’ve clearly reduced it from the original formulations that were 50% juice. We still think that they could make the cacao fruit even lighter.

On the packaging and branding front, Xoca has undergone a major transformation that feels much more modern. 

Xoca’s label now utilizes a matte-finished shrink sleeve label that has a black ring around the top and a primary area that has a different colored background for each of the SKUs (Cacaofruit & Ginger has a gold background while Cacaofruit & Cherry gets a red colored background). In addition, there are faint illustrations of cacao that can be seen on the lower portion of the label.

The primary copy area, which is the area with the colored background, is cleanly arranged and has three primary elements that sit inside it. The largest element, which also sits in the center of the label, is a large “The Good Soda” logo in a script font.  Above this, you’ll find a smaller Xoca logo and below it you’ll find the flavor name, which spans two lines and is roughly the same size as the Xoca logo (there’s also a very small line of fine print beneath it that says “A natural source of probiotics”).  Up in the top black ring, you’ll find the front panels only label copy, the text “Good for your gut” and “Good for the planet.”

While  aesthetically pleasing, there are a couple of things on the package that we think can be improved. First and foremost, “The Good Soda” logo distracts from “Xoca” and, unfortunately, creates confusion over what the brand name is – not to mention that Xoca would have a nearly impossible time trying to “own” The Good Soda. We’d suggest either removing this logo or swapping their location and size so that in either case the Xoca logo is the hero of the label. 

Beyond that, we think that the product needs some more front panel callouts for fiber, calories, and/or sugar and clearer statement of what the product is.  Nearly every product that Xoca will compete with has this and their omission simply puts the brand at a competitive disadvantage. It doesn’t help that the nutrition panel on the Cacaofruit & Ginger SKU is almost impossible to read due to white text being placed on top of the gold background. 

Overall, we definitely applaud Xoca for their rebrand. While some tweaks are still needed, this is a big step forward for the brand and one that gets them closer to the mark. 

Xoca is a line of cacao fruit juice sodas made with a base of 50% Ecuadorian cacao fruit juice. The product line is available in three flavors, including Original, Mint, and Ginger. 

The base of cacao juice is paired with sparkling water and, in the case of Mint and Ginger, additional ingredients for flavoring. Mint features organic spearmint and organic peppermint while Ginger is made with organic bourbon vanilla, organic ginger, organic cassia and organic clove.

Nutritionally, these products have 75 calories, 15 grams of sugar (all from the juice) and 2 grams of fiber per 8 oz. can. While we wouldn’t call this product “low calorie,” it has less per serving than a traditional CSD, which is a good thing. 

Beyond the fiber and associated digestive benefits, the product is marketed as having functional benefits. This includes energy from theobromine, plus antioxidants and B vitamins.

The flavor of the cacao juice comes through prominently in all three flavors, which is no surprise given that it makes up 50% of the drink. In case you aren’t familiar with the ingredient, it is the upcycled fruit that is discarded during cacao production (which comes from the fruit’s seed). We’d describe the flavor as tart but sweet with slight floral notes and a touch of sour to the finish. 

While we were slightly underwhelmed by Original (“Nada”), we felt like tGinger is in a really nice spot. The addition of vanilla and clove give it an almost cola-like flavor -- at least until the ginger hits your palate. We like the complexity of this drink and the added flavors have done a nice job of giving it balance. The same can be said for Mint, which is another flavor pairing that helps round out the cacao juice. Overall, we  definitely gravitated towards the two flavored offerings.

As for the packaging and branding, Xoca has a visual theme that goes with the Ecuadorian roots of its hero ingredient: a mountain or volcano image along the bottom, a picture of a cacao image and the Xoca logo placed vertically. From our perspective, this aesthetic reflects authenticity and quality when it comes to the cacao fruit that’s used.

However, the problem with this approach is that it’s likely to only work with consumers who are aware of cacao fruit. In similar fashion to cascara (aka coffee fruit) having an identity crisis with the American consumer regarding the fact that it doesn’t taste like coffee, cacao fruit has the same issue relative chocolate. The current branding doesn’t do anything to dispel this or make it inviting or approachable.

Furthermore, the product is trying to position itself as a soda, but the messaging is skewed heavily towards promoting the fruit content. This will likely make consumers think that it’s a juice -- and, since it’s a fruit juice that they probably don’t understand, we think they’ll just move on.

Overall, Xoca earns credit for having an innovative and enjoyable tasting concept, but we feel the brand needs to rethink its approach to the brand and messaging in order to convince consumers to give it a try.