Coke Follows "All-Weather" Strategy and Olipop Pops Up in a Drive-Thru with Crocs

Life is full of surprises and we should never take it for granted. That holds for private and business life. You do not know what tomorrow brings, what next week or month brings.

There is a lot of positive moment happening, both in the industry and on the consumer side. Embrace the positivity, and join forces towards the challenges in our industry.

Good things to come.

Juice News 🧃

Olipop, Crocs team up to bring back this fan favorite soda flavor

Spicy pickle soda. Dirty protein soda. Cereal milk soda. These aren’t your standard mocktail offerings—but that’s exactly the point. On May 12, Olipop will launch its first-ever soda drive-thru in Los Angeles, offering an array of offbeat, internet-inspired drinks and limited-edition mocktails, with the first drink free to the public.

The pop-up event taps into the internet’s growing obsession with so-called “beverage goblin” culture, which has people cycling through multiple drinks at once for hydration, energy, and fun.

Plenish unveils juice shots range for kids and revamped dosing bottle

Plenish fortified the shots with a selected a blend of vitamins and minerals that are essential for children, to address potential nutrient deficiencies. As such, each shot provides 100% of a child’s recommended intake of vitamin D, vitamin C, iron and zinc.
The shots also last outside the fridge for eight hours, making them suitable for packed lunches.

Symrise delivers solid growth in Q1 and reaffirms outlook

• Achieved organic growth of 4.2%

• Delivered sales of €1.3 billion driven primarily by higher volumes

• Reaffirms full year 2025 guidance: Organic growth 5-7% / EBITDA margin around 21% / Business free cash flow around 14%

• Conducted strategic assessment of Chemicals Production activities

Coca-Cola Reports First Quarter 2025 Results

The Coca‑Cola Company today reported first quarter 2025 results. “Our performance this quarter once again demonstrates the effectiveness of our all-weather strategy,” said James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca‑Cola Company. “Despite some pressure in key developed markets, the power of our global footprint allowed us to successfully navigate a complex external environment. By remaining true to our purpose and staying close to the consumer, we are confident in our ability to create enduring long-term value.”

Rivian Is Selling $14 Orange Juice at Erehwon

“Electric Adventure just dropped at Erewhon. This isn’t your average juice—it’s a citrus-charged, sea-moss-powered, ginger-turmeric turbo boost for wherever your adventure takes you. Available while supplies last at Erewhon locations.” That’s it.

Citrus News 🍊

Southern African citrus exports to grow despite challenges

The Southern African citrus industry is expected to export a total of 171.1 million cartons of 15kg citrus during the 2025 season. This figure represents a 3.6% increase compared to last year's final export numbers.

"We are cautiously optimistic about the season," said Dr Boitshoko Ntshabele, CEO of the CGA. "The solid growth trajectory the industry has been on has held so far. But serious threats remain. A significant one for this season is the tariff turmoil that could disrupt the U.S. market for a portion of our growers."

Turkish Government Intervenes in Lemon Exports

The Turkish Ministry of Trade (MoT), in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MinAF), imposed a ban on lemon exports on April 8, 2025, due to a fear of a supply shortage following a cold snap which caused frost damage across several areas of the country.

Having not been consulted in advance, Turkish lemon exporters expressed concern, as they noted that existing stocks were more than enough to meet Türkiye’s needs

Research Worth Reading 🔬

New online tool tests how taxes shape sugar-sweetened drink purchases

Scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC created a first-of-its-kind online marketplace to test how government policies might reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.

A proof-of-concept study describes the Experimental Beverage Marketplace in a recent article in the journal Appetite.

“This tool provides a great opportunity to systematically test the potential effects of these tax proposals on purchasing and consumption,” said Assistant Professor Jeff Stein, interim co-director of the research institute’s Center for Health Behaviors Research.

Variety Effect on Peelability and Mechanisms of Action of Late-Ripening Citrus Fruits

Correlation analyses demonstrated that citrus peel firmness and adhesion strength are significantly associated with multiple growth and developmental characteristics, including fruit morphometric parameters, peel cellular architecture, intracellular organic compound content, cell wall polysaccharide levels and related degradative enzyme activities, calcium concentrations, and endogenous phytohormone profiles. These findings provide valuable insights for studying peelability mechanisms and improving fruit quality in citrus breeding.

Propionate serves as a degradable control agent of citrus canker by acidifying cytoplasm and depleting intracellular ATP in Xanthomonas citri

Findings highlight propionate as a favorable control agent for citrus bacterial canker, offering effective disease management while mitigating the environmental and health concerns associated with copper-based treatments.