‘Zeitaku’ in Japanese by definition means ‘luxury’, and the firm focused on the two-fruit blending aspect to bring out this concept.
“Blending two kinds of fruits makes [the drink] taste juicier and richer, which strengthens Fanta’s fruity flavour,” a Coca-Cola Japan spokeswoman told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“This second product from the Fanta Zeitaku (luxury) W series [has been made] with Cabernet and Chardonnay grapes.”
Responding to queries on the reason behind focusing on grapes, the spokeswoman added that external surveys had found the fruit to be ‘one of the popular fruits favoured in autumn’.
“[Apart from grapes being] one of the most popular fruits in Japan, Fanta Grape is also the most-sold flavour amongst all [the different Fanta flavours] in the country,” she added.
According to the Coca-Cola Japan website, Cabernet grapes were selected for the ‘strong, rich taste’ and Chardonnay for its ‘refreshing quality’. Although information on sugar content was not released, each 410ml bottle contains about 180 calories.
The first product launched under the two-fruit series was the Fanta Luxury Double White Peach & Yellow Peach flavour, released earlier this year in March.
“The white and yellow peach blend was very well-received for its luxurious taste,” the firm added.
As with many of the other locally-focused products that Coca-Cola Japan launches, there are no plans for this double-fruit blend series to be launched outside of the country.
Fanta-stic Japanese creations
Apart from Fanta Luxury Double Cabernet & Chardonnay, Fanta Japan also has a number of unique products that claim to have added nutrients.
An example is the Fanta Lemon Multivitamin 1-day, which claims to provide one day’s worth of B3 (Niacin - 3.5mg/100ml) and Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid – 2mg to 5mg/100ml), as well as ‘plenty of’ Vitamin C (350mg/100ml). The drink can be found in 500ml and 1.5L variants.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the recommended daily intake of niacin is 14mg/day in females, and 16mg/day in males, and for panthotenic acid this is 5mg/day for both males and females.
Another example here is the Fanta Well-Mixed Lychee + Salt flavour, which looks to prevent heat stroke by providing a combination of 1.3mg of niacin, 1mg to 4mg of panthothenic acid and other minerals.
More grape products
In addition, this is not the only grape-focused product that the firm has launched this autumn, further emphasising the popularity of this fruit in the country.
Besides Fanta Luxury Double Cabernet & Chardonnay, Coca-Cola Japan-owned mineral water and fruity flavoured water firm ILOHAS also launched a white grape flavoured version of flavoured water in Japan recently.
“White grapes [are the] seasonal food of autumn in Japan, [so] we thought of using this to [bring the taste of Japanese autumn] to consumers,” Coca-Cola Japan told us previously.
