Dive Brief:
- Honest Tea will make its K-cup debut today, becoming the first Coca-Cola brand to be sold in the pods used in Keurig brewers.
- The move comes some seven months after Coca-Cola bought a stake in Keurig Green Mountain and signed a 10-year collaboration deal.
- The Honest Tea K-cups are meant to be used in Keurig's traditional hot brewing machines and served over ice.
Dive Insight:
Keurig and Coke's partnership calls for the creation of a "cold" machine that can compete with Sodastream. That product is expected to debut before the end of the year, and perhaps as early as next month. Given that, it's a bit of a surprise that Coke would move forward first with a cold tea brand that must be brewed over ice and allowed to chill.