- Coca-Cola is launching a cane sugar version of its flagship soda in the U.S., with CFO John Murphy confirming to Fortune that President Trump has endorsed the initiative that has been in development for 12-18 months. The move comes as the beverage giant works to address recent sales challenges in America, including lingering effects from a viral misinformation campaign and affordability pressures on lower-income consumers.
Coca-Cola is moving forward with plans to launch a cane sugar version of its flagship soda in the U.S. market, with chief financial officer John Murphy confirming that President Donald Trump has endorsed the initiative following his recent social media claims.
In an interview with Fortune, Murphy said the cane sugar variant “has been in our pipeline for some time” and typically requires 12-18 months from development to launch.
“He is a big supporter of the option,” Murphy said of Trump. “He has heard about it and is a big fan of the option. It’s certainly been well reported.”
Pressed for specifics on whether the cane sugar Coke will channel the “Mexican Coke” model—popular in the U.S. for its glass bottles and distinctive taste—Murphy said: “I think for commercial reasons, I’m going to wait until the U.S. team is ready to divulge all the details, so more to come on that in a couple weeks.”
Murphy emphasized that expanding product options reflects broader market demand: “Here in the U.S. there is just so much demand for variants and new options on both existing and the new. This [Coke made with cane sugar] is an option for the Coke portfolio and one we’re excited about.”
Fake viral TikTok video hit Coke sales
The announcement comes as Coca-Cola navigates a challenging market environment.
Coke reported second quarter results for 2025 on Tuesday, showing modest revenue growth driven by pricing and mix, significantly higher operating income and margins, and strong brand engagement despite a small global volume decline.
Murphy attributed recent softness in U.S. and Latin America sales to two primary factors: lingering effects from a viral misinformation campaign and pressure on lower-income consumers. A false TikTok video that circulated in February claimed the company was collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security on deportations of Hispanics from the U.S. to Mexico.
“It was clearly false, but it went viral and for a period of six weeks or so, it had a significant short-term impact on the business in Texas, California, and in Mexico,” Murphy explained. The company has been recovering from that incident, but Murphy noted that affordability remains a challenge for lower-income consumers.
“While the U.S. consumer has been reported overall as resilient, there is a segment of the population, the lower income segment, that is under pressure given the cumulative impact of price increases on their household basket over the last two to three years,” he said.
Coke pushing into AI
The company is also accelerating its use of artificial intelligence across operations.
“AI is here, we see it positively impacting our end-to-end business,” Murphy said, noting applications in supply chain, innovation, marketing and finance.
“We’re in the early stages of AI being part and parcel of how companies will operate to raise the overall performance bar.”
The secret to working for 37 years at Coca-Cola
Murphy, who is approaching his 37th anniversary with Coca-Cola next week, credited his longevity to two principles established by former longtime Chairman and CEO Robert Woodruff.
Quoting Woodruff’s philosophy, he said: “One, which is very relevant to today’s work, is that the world belongs to the discontented. So I think staying curious and, to some degree, unhappy with wherever you are is a great motivator to do more.
“And the second, which is maybe my favourite quote of his; there’s no limit to what a person can do if they don’t mind who gets the credit. I think it’s a wonderful piece of advice for anybody, whether it’s year one or year 37, to take on board, and if you live your life against those two quotes, I think you can survive just about anywhere.”
