The boba beverage has been launched under the Cappy brand in Turkey: which is better known elsewhere as the company’s billion-dollar Minute Maid juice brand.
It’s part of Coca-Cola’s innovation agenda: where the beverage giant is constantly on the search for new ways to bring innovative, high-quality refreshment experiences to the market.
Bubble trouble
Bubble tea – or boba tea – has bubbled up as a favorite for Gen Z. While traditionally based on tea, it now encompasses a broadening range of styles and ideas.
The main feature is the chewy balls inside: generally made with tapioca or seaweed, and filled with fruit juice.
Bubble tea is commonly sold in transparent plastic dome cups in on-the-go outlet, embracing its bold, colorful visual effect. It’s served with a fat straw so that, as the drink is sipped, the balls come up with the liquid.
While boba tea has been a firm favorite in Asia for decades, recent years have seen its popularity spread further afield. In fact, Europe and North America now collectively account for 41% of tea and RTD tea launches with boba, according to Mintel.
And as the popularity of the beverage spreads, it provides an exciting opportunity for innovation.
Cappy Bubble launch
Coca-Cola’s new launch takes juice beyond a liquid and into something more: where texture and experience are part of the beverage.
The ‘bobas’ in Cappy Bubble are fruit-syrup filled pearls that gently burst under the pressure of teeth or tongue.
This delivers a unique sensorial experience by combining flavor with texture.
“This makes the product not only refreshing to drink, but also delivers a unique sensorial experience by combining flavor with texture,” a spokesperson told us.
As a European launch, the new beverage created by the juice innovation team at Coca-Cola’s R&D hub in Brussels, with development taking around two years.
It’s a highlight for the team, as it marks the first time that bobas have been developed and commercialized in the company.
But developing the beverage was not easy: the innovators faced the challenge of creating bubbles delicate enough to pop in the mouth - yet strong enough to withstand the rigors of production, bottling and distribution.
Expanding boba tea into retail
Boba tea has been gradually making its way into retail: where it must address the practicalities of creating a shelf-stable beverage that can be manufactured on mass into bottles.
While a number of smaller brands have pioneered the format for retail, Coca-Cola has now scaled up the trend with its juice launch.
Cappy innovation: From bobas to botanicals
As consumers move away from sugary soda and towards healthier drinks, juice is a key contender as a naturally sweet, flavorsome product.
While sugar concerns do continue to put off some consumers, juice is set to benefit from its all-natural positioning and fresh fruit imagery.
Figures from Grand View Research suggest a very healthy CAGR of 7.7% from 2024 to 2030 for the global juice category: growing from an estimated $29.99bn to $50.49bn.
And boba juice is not the only innovation under the Cappy brand. Originally centered in central Europe, the Cappy juice platform has now been expanded across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Innovation in reduced-sugar and vitamin-fortified varieties has further expanded the portfolio.
And more innovation is afoot with Coca-Cola filing a trademark for a botanical lemonade under the Cappy brand in the UK earlier this year. Other flavors in the UK line up already include Cappy 100% Pure Orange, Cappy Multivitamin, Cappy Pulpy Grapefruit and Cappy Lemonade Tasty Lemon.
