No, Sprite is not an Indian company. It is a beverage brand owned by the Coca-Cola Company, an American multinational corporation founded in 1892, which manufactures, markets and sells multiple soft drink brands. Sprite is a lemon-lime flavoured caffeine-free soft drink featuring prominently in the brand line-up of Coca-Cola. The beverage also comes in many other flavours, including grape, cherry, cranberry, pineapple, orange, vanilla and more.
Sprite is the third best-selling soft drink brand in the world and a leading global brand of lemon-lime soda. The soft drinks sold under Sprite brand are manufactured and bottled by Coca-Cola’s global bottling network.
| Details | Info |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| CEO | James Quincey |
| Sector | Beverage |
Company History
Sprite was launched on 8th October 1961 by The Coca-Cola Company in the United States as a lemon-lime flavoured caffeine-free soft drink. Origins of Sprite goes back to the year 1959 when a lemon-lime drink named Fanta Clare Zitrone was developed in West Germany. Coca-Cola reformulated and rebranded the same drink, eventually launching it as Sprite. The Sprite trademark was acquired by Coca-Cola from a Houston-based bottler in the year 1960.
Sprite gained widespread popularity in US and many other countries like United Kingdom and Australia throughout the 1960s and 70s. In the first decade of the 21st century, Sprite expanded to many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Multiple variants like Sprite Zero Sugar, Sprite Remix, Sprite Cranberry and others were also introduced during this period.
Current Status
Sprite is the second-largest brand of The Coca-Cola Company, generating $20 billion in annual retail sales. The brand is available in over 190 countries. Sprite is a billion-dollar brand in India, which is Coca-Cola’s fifth largest market. In the year 2022, Sprite gained 34 million households, thereby becoming the fastest-growing FMCG brand, with respect to penetration.
Sprite has recently launched multiple variants, including Sprite Chill, Sprite Vanilla Frost, Sprite + Tea and regional variants like Sprite-mint in Asia and Sprite Lemon+ in Australia. In August 2022, Sprite switched from green to clear bottles in order to eliminate green polyethylene terephthalate and improve recyclability.
Future Outlook
Due to recent successes with new variants, Sprite is expected to continue launching limited-time offerings and permanent variants. Furthermore, Sprite is likely to invest in more low-calorie and functional variants like nutrient-enhanced and prebiotic Sprite. The brand is also looking to adopt more sustainable practices like label-less bottles and plant-based packaging.