Coca‑Cola pulls Minute Maid frozen juice concentrates as shopper habits shift

Coca‑Cola has decided to retire the Minute Maid frozen concentrate range, a legacy product line that will be phased out from retail inventory in the months ahead. The company framed the withdrawal as a response to evolving shopper preferences and a strategic refocus of its product assortment toward faster‑growing items. Frozen concentrates — once positioned as a year‑round substitute for fresh juice — have struggled as refrigeration, pasteurization and fresh options became dominant. Market research shows the frozen‑juice category has contracted in the past year, signaling structural decline rather than a temporary dip. At the same time, Coca‑Cola’s broader juice business has not collapsed; recent quarterly reporting noted gains in market share driven in part by no‑sugar and other reformulated offerings. For retailers, the announcement accelerates phase‑out plans and creates short‑term inventory clearance decisions; shelf space freed by frozen concentrates will likely be repurposed to other beverage SKUs. Supply‑chain and production assets that supported the concentrate line can be redeployed or retired, reducing SKU complexity and manufacturing overhead. Competitors and niche producers of frozen concentrates may see a small opportunity to capture remaining demand, but the headline result is a signal that legacy, low‑growth formats are being deprioritized. From a brand perspective, removing a decades‑old product tests consumer attachment to heritage lines versus modern convenience trends. Financially the decision is unlikely to materially alter Coca‑Cola’s topline, given the small and shrinking size of the frozen segment, yet it sharpens the company’s portfolio toward items with clearer growth trajectories. In short, the discontinuation is less about one SKU than about a larger bet: concentrate resources on formats and formulations that align with current consumption patterns and margin objectives.