Fresca

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Fresca
Fresca.jpg
Type Soft drink
Manufacturer The Coca-Cola Company
Country of origin USA
Introduced 1966
Flavour Black Cherry, Cherry Citrus, Citrus Lime, Grapefruit, Grapefruit Mint, Lemon, Lime and Peach[1]
Variants Fresca 1
Related products Fanta

Fresca is a brand of citrus diet soft drink made by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in the United States in 1966, the drink is now sold throughout the world, although it is not widely available outside of North America. Unlike other Coke products, it does not have a Pepsi equivalent (although in many markets, Pepsico licenses, produces and distributes "Diet Squirt," a very similar beverage owned by Dr Pepper & Seven-Up, Inc.).

Fresca means "fresh" (feminine form) in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.

Contents

History

Since its inception, Fresca has been marketed in the United States as a calorie-free, grapefruit-flavored soft drink, ostensibly catering to discriminating adult tastes. Fresca underwent several major ingredient changes since its introduction. The drink was originally sweetened with cyclamates, which were banned by the FDA in 1969, and the banned ingredient was replaced with saccharin. However, in 1985, the saccharin was replaced by NutraSweet-brand aspartame. More recently, around the time of the 2005 redesign, acesulfame potassium was added as a secondary sweetener.


In addition, Fresca was the favorite drink of the expansion teams in the NHL during the 1967 season; therefore, Fresca was originally slated to be the sponsor to the NHL the following year. However, the NHL board of governors rejected the proposed sponsorship.[citation needed]

In Latin America, Coca-Cola markets an entirely different soft drink under the Fresca brand name. This drink is grapefruit-flavored, but contains sugar. It is similar to the Squirt soft drink marketed in the United States by Dr Pepper & Seven-Up, Inc. In 1997 Coca-Cola, which had had requests for "Mexican Fresca" from immigrant communities, launched the soft drink throughout the U.S. as Citra. However this was not successful as a separate product line, and that drink is now sold as the Citrus flavor in the Fanta line in areas with a large Hispanic populations. The name may have been confusing for Latin American consumers, as "agua fresca" is a traditional local soft drink.

2006 Mexican glass Fresca bottle (355 ml)

Fresca has so far managed to defend its niche of the market, and, like Tab, can rely on a relatively small but loyal customer base.

In 2005, Coca-Cola gave Fresca a more contemporary look, Fresca's first makeover since 1995. Fresca advertising continues to emphasize sophistication.

During this redesign, two new flavors were introduced (Sparkling Peach Citrus and Sparkling Black Cherry Citrus) and the original grapefruit flavor was renamed Sparkling Citrus. Subsequently, "Sparkling" was dropped from the name of the first two flavors and the original flavor renamed Original Citrus.

Twelve packs of Fresca

Flavors of Fresca

North America

  • Sparkling Citrus (new name for original "Grapefruit" flavor with product redesign in 2005, later renamed Original Citrus)
  • Sparkling Black Cherry (new with product redesign in 2005, "Sparkling" later dropped from name)
  • Sparkling Peach Citrus (new with product redesign in 2005, "Sparkling" later dropped from name)

Other Countries

  • Cherry Citrus
  • Citrus Lime
  • Grapefruit
  • Grapefruit Mint
  • Lemon Lime

Availability

  • Algeria
  • Bolivia
  • Canada
  • Costa Rica
  • El Salvador
  • Honduras
  • Iceland
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • United States
  • Perú (Available in Tres Chanchitos - La Molina)

Ingredients

North American:

Mexican:

Popular culture references

  • In the "Guitar Queer-O" episode of Comedy Central's TV show South Park, Kyle and Stan meet at the bowling alley where Kyle performs on a Guitar Hero machine in the arcade area for guests. Kyle mentions that he gets free Fresca for playing Guitar Hero.
  • In the HBO TV show True Blood, Vampire Bill Compton offers warm Fresca to the police officers who come to interrogate him for recent deaths around their fictional town, Bon Temps.
  • In the CBS TV show "The King of Queens", Doug is sitting in the living room while his friend Ritchie is in the bedroom with his date. While they are having sex, the girl with Ritchie yells out "Doug, can you get me a fresca?"
  • In the "Curious George" episode of Dead Like Me, Roxy complains her orange juice tastes weird, and after having a taste, Betty replies: "it tastes like Fresca"
  • In Caddyshack, Judge Smails asks Danny if he'd like a drink... "How 'bout a Fresca!"
  • In The Simpsons, Principal Skinner has mentioned that he enjoys Fresca. Actor Troy McClure tells his then-wife, Selma Bouvier that he loves her like he loves Fresca. In yet another episode, a Native American chieftain gives Bart and Homer cups to drink from, stating, "The bear urine will make you strong. Just kidding, it's Fresca."
  • In The West Wing, Season 2, Episode 7, "The Portland Trip", Ainsley and Leo discuss the heat in her office and she wishes they had Fresca. AINSLEY:You should really have Fresca in the building! LEO:I'll get right on that!
  • Fresca was the correct answer to the $1,000,000 question on the American 10th Anniversary Edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in August 2009. Ken Basin, an entertainment lawyer from Los Angeles, was asked what beverage U.S. President Lyndon Johnson had on tap in the White House, alongside coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola. (Basin, along with the audience, incorrectly guessed Yoo-Hoo, causing him to lose $475,000.)

References

  1. ^ "Fresca Product Description". coca-cola.com. http://www.virtualvender.coca-cola.com/ft/index.jsp. Retrieved 2009-09-18. 
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External links

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Brands of citrus soda
Citrus soda lines
Amrat · A-Treat · Big Ben's · Blue Sky · Brisa · Celeste · Crush · Fanta · Faygo · Foxon Park · Fresca · Hank's · Jarritos · Jones Soda · Kas · Lift · Lilt · Mirinda · Nehi · Nesbitt's · Pschitt · Ramune · San Pellegrino · Schin · Schweppes · Shasta · Slice · Suso · Vess
Citrus sodas
Lemon-lime sodas
Orange sodas
Grapefruit sodas
Fresca · Pelmosoda · Squirt · Ting · Wink
Tangerine sodas
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresca"

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