Coca-Cola relegated their original Diet Coke lime and cherry flavors for sale only on Amazon earlier this year. Now, they’re cutting lime loose and cherry could be next on the chopping block next, according to BuzzFeed News.
In January, Coca-Cola unveiled redesigned Diet Coke cans and four new flavors — Ginger Lime, Twisted Mango, Zesty Blood Orange, and Feisty Cherry — were added to Diet Coke’s arsenal in an effort to capture customers who had abandoned the drink for trendier seltzers like LaCroix. The Wall Street Journal reported that the response was lackluster, with Diet Coke enthusiasts paying more attention than seltzer drinkers. When Coca-Cola reported their earnings in April, though, the flavors proved worthy with a 3% bump in drink volume sold.
In that re-designed release, all five flavors, including the original Diet Coke, got a slimmer can with colorful labels. A Coca-Cola spokesperson told BuzzFeed that Ginger Lime and Feisty Cherry were upgrades from the original lime and cherry flavors that would create “a bolder taste experience,”meant to replace the flavors lost.
Diet Coke Lime has now been entirely discontinued and Diet Coke Cherry is available only from Coke’s Freestyle soda machines.