ATLANTA — Coca-Cola Co. is giving its Nestea line a makeover, adding flavors and new packaging in hopes of grabbing a bigger piece of a growing U.S. tea market.
The remade Nestea arrives in stores this month, Coke said Friday. The drinks will have new labels and come in slimmer, straight-walled plastic bottles designed to more clearly distinguish them from carbonated soft drinks.
Nestea also will introduce Green Tea Citrus and Diet Green Tea Citrus flavors.
“You could sum it up to say we changed pretty well everything that we could to make sure we had the strongest proposition for consumers,” said Penny McIntyre, senior vice president and general manager of coffee and tea.
The changes are significant because teas represent a fast-growing segment where Coke has trailed competition.
In 2007, U.S. take-home sales volume for tea rose 20.5 percent, according to Beverage Digest, an industry newsletter. Lipton, a PepsiCo Inc. brand, led teas last year with 38.1 percent of the U.S. take-home market, according to Beverage Digest. Arizona Tea was second at 30.8 percent, with Snapple third at 13.1 percent.
Nestea ranked fourth with 8.5 percent of the market.
