Yes, people all over the world love cola, and once again, we can look forward to a new cola beverage coming onto the market in Japan. We’ve already told you about the fat-busting cola which came out in April. This time, the new cola has an exotic twist with ingredients from the tropical islands of Okinawa Prefecture.
Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) recently announced that they will be selling the “Okinawa Brown Sugar Cola” (Okinawa Kokuto Cola) starting June 4th. The new cola contains precious high-quality brown sugar from Hateruma Island of Okinawa, with a dash of mineral-rich salt from Ishigaki Island, also located in Okinawa, added to bring out the refreshing taste of the drink.
Okinawa has always been a popular travel destination for Japanese tourists, and in terms of consumer appeal, it can’t hurt for the drink to be associated with the beautiful islands. The package of the drink features a picture of the blue skies and ocean of Okinawa, and the bright red Hibiscus flower on the side is a nice touch that enhances the image of the islands as a tropical paradise. JT also mentioned in their press release that as a partner corporation involved in the “Food Action Nippon” project, which is a movement to keep both tradition and creativity alive in Japanese food and cooking and also improve Japanese food self-sufficiency, they are hoping to promote and open new possibilities for Okinawa food products.
The cola will be sold at 140yen ($1.75) for a standard 500ml bottle. The combination of Okinawa’s island allure and the sweet taste of brown sugar definitely sounds appealing and is bound to make it a perfect summer drink. It will probably make you want to visit Okinawa, and more importantly for JT, it may turn out to be a big hit!
Source: JT press release (Japanese)