Coca-Cola to Fill American Caffeine Shortage

In an effort to address America’s dangerously under-caffeinated population, Coca-Cola (KO) has announced the introduction of Blak, a new drink that combines coffee and Coca-Cola. Now Americans will be able to enjoy the relaxing benefits of caffeine throughout their entire day.
The drink will initially be tested on the French before a larger rollout to the United States. The French, however, seem unimpressed by the new mass-marketed consumer product from a giant American corporation:

Adeline Dulic, taking a mid-morning break, said: “I don’t think it’s a good idea. We are artisans in France, we are used to things like good coffee and fine wines, not things like this.”

Although shares of Coke have historically creamed the market, the past few years have been hard for investors.
December 8, 2005: $41.88
December 8, 1995: $39.25
December 9, 1985: $3.53
December 8, 1975: $1.72
Coke has spruced up its lineup recently with the additions of Vanilla Coke, Coke Zero and C2. (Personally, I always liked Coke Mandatory.)
But Coke still has a lot of work to do. The company has fallen behind consumers’ attitudes. Drinks like Red Bull have become very popular. Also, the top-performing stock of this decade has been Hansen Natural (HANS), whose sales have surged thanks to its Monster Energy drink.

Posted by on December 9th, 2005 at 11:41 am


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