MASERU – Lesotho last Friday became the sixth African country to officially unveil Coca-Cola Zero, a sugar-free beverage targeted at the health-conscious market.
The latest brand is also marketed as a calorie-free variation of regular Coke.
The Coca-Cola Company first introduced Coca-Cola Zero to the United States in 2005.
Lesotho is the latest country in Africa to launch the product after Rwanda, Mauritius, Egypt, Morocco and South Africa.
Coca-Cola Zero is since last month available in most parts of Lesotho at the same price as the popular Coca-Cola Classic.
Speaking at the launch, Honest Marandu, Coca-Cola East and Central Africa’s senior operations marketing manager for Lesotho, said the drink had enjoyed phenomenal success since it first hit the market in the United States.
He said Coca-Cola Zero had been influenced by health trends which encourage calorie-free diets.
“Globally, there are growing concerns about health and wellness issues are changing consumer consumption habits,” Marandu told the gathering at a hotel in Maseru.
“Research shows both men and women are becoming more health and body-conscious, in line with global health and wellness trends.
“This consumer insight provided the company with the opportunity to increase the growth of the sparkling sugar-free segment.”
Marandu said the global success of Coca-Cola Zero was due to its “authentic Coke taste”.
The launch of the product was attended by key customers, the media as well as staffers of Coca-Cola East and Central Africa’s bottling partner in Lesotho, Marotholi Beverages
