Coca-Cola Cherry facts for kids
Bottles and cans of Coca-Cola Cherry and Coca-Cola Cherry Zero from Poland
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| Type | Cherry cola |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | February 19, 1985 |
| Variants | Diet Coke Cherry (Coca-Cola Light Cherry) , Coca-Cola Cherry Zero, Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla |
| Related products | Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla |
Cherry Coca-Cola, often called Cherry Coke, is a popular drink. It's a special version of Coca-Cola that tastes like cherry. The Coca-Cola Company makes and sells it in the United States and many other countries.
Contents
The Story of Cherry Coke
How Cherry Coke Began
Long before it was officially sold in stores, people made their own Cherry Coke. They would add cherry-flavored syrup to Coca-Cola. This happened in places like diners, drugstore soda fountains, and movie theaters.
The Coca-Cola Company first tested its official cherry-flavored drink in 1982. They offered it to visitors at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. After more tests, Cherry Coke officially launched in the U.S. in the summer of 1985.
A New Kind of Coke
Cherry Coke was the third type of Coca-Cola available then. The others were regular Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. It was also the very first flavored Coke. Cherry Coke came out around the same time as New Coke. New Coke was a different recipe for original Coca-Cola that caused a lot of talk. Cherry Coke became very popular when New Coke was mostly stopped in the early 1990s. The drink's name changed to Coca-Cola Cherry in 2005.
Other Flavors of Coke
After Cherry Coke, the Coca-Cola Company made other flavored Cokes. These included Vanilla Coke in 2002, then lime, raspberry, lemon, black cherry vanilla, and orange. Many of these are now sold only in certain countries. Some are also available in special Freestyle vending machines. These machines let you mix your own flavors.
Where You Can Find Cherry Coke
Coca-Cola Cherry is sold in many countries around the world. Besides the U.S., you can find it in places like the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea. It's also available in Sweden, Finland, Poland, and many other European countries.
In some countries, like New Zealand and Australia, you might find it imported from the U.S. or the UK. It returned to Canada in 2016 and has been available there since. In 2023, Coca-Cola Cherry launched in Serbia. In 2024, it returned to Bulgaria and launched in North Macedonia, Ukraine, and Moldova. In 2025, it returned to Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It also launched in Estonia, Georgia, and Armenia in 2025.
How Cherry Coke Looks
Changing Designs
The way Coca-Cola Cherry looks on cans and bottles is different in various countries. In the United States, Coca-Cola has changed the logos and labels many times since 1985. Today, the cans and bottles often have a pink or purple color. They usually show pictures of cherries.
In 2007, Coca-Cola started a new campaign for Cherry Coke in the U.S. This led to a big change in the label design. A famous rapper named Jay-Z helped design the new look. A new diet version, Coca-Cola Cherry Zero, also came out then. These designs stayed until 2011, when a simpler design was introduced.
Modern Packaging
In January 2019, Coca-Cola Cherry got a new U.S. packaging design. This was part of Coca-Cola's "One Brand" marketing plan. The new design looks similar to regular Coca-Cola. The words "Coca-Cola" are on a red circle. A picture of a cherry is below the text. The background color of the can or bottle is still purple. The word "Cherry" is placed above the red circle.
Diet Versions of Cherry Coke
Diet Cherry Coke
After the original Cherry Coke became popular, Diet Cherry Coke was introduced in 1986. This was a low-calorie version. It was the first new flavor for Diet Coke. The drink's name changed to Diet Coke Cherry in 2005.
It was released in the United Kingdom in early 2006. In 2018, Diet Coke Cherry was replaced by Diet Coke Feisty Cherry. This new version had a stronger cherry taste. Diet Coke Feisty Cherry also replaced the original in the United Kingdom. In October 2020, Coca-Cola announced that Diet Coke Feisty Cherry would leave the U.S. market by the end of 2020. However, Cherry Coke without artificial sweeteners is still sold in the United Kingdom.
In January 2025, Diet Coke Cherry returned to stores for a limited time. It was sold only in Kroger stores in the U.S. Also, 32-pack cases were available only in Costco stores in Canada. This return featured the old design from 1986. You can also find Diet Coke Cherry in Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.
Coca-Cola Cherry Zero
Coca-Cola Cherry Zero was launched in the United States in February 2007. This is another low-calorie version. It is based on Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
This drink later became available in other countries. It launched in France in 2012 and the United Kingdom in 2014. It has also been released in countries like Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and Germany. In 2020, Coca-Cola Zero Cherry was introduced in Romania. In 2022, it launched in Finland. In 2024, Coca-Cola Zero Cherry was introduced in Switzerland, Sweden, and Austria.
See also
In Spanish: Coca-Cola Cherry para niños
