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Coke surges ahead with new soft drink

Surge, Coca-Cola USA's "fully loaded citrus soda," hits store shelves across the country this month in both cans and bottles. The 12-oz cans use an EZO wide-mouth end for easy drinkability.

Pw 24039 Sur Coc Us Aful 5

Pioneered for juice concentrates and used by some breweries, this represents the first application in the soft drink industry. The bottles-20-oz, 1-L and 2-L-are made of polyethylene terephthalate and blown in custom molds. Brilliant red and green graphics on labels and cans highlight the Surge trademark. Surge is aimed at what Coke describes as "active youths and hardworking young adults." It has a bold citrus taste, low carbonation, a bright green color, and an energy-yielding complex carbohydrate called maltodextrin. It's priced in the same range as soft drinks. "Surge is poised to become the next major non-cola soft drink," says Jack L. Stahl, president of Atlanta-based Coca-Cola USA, which is a division of The Coca-Cola Co. Television ads for the brand will air during Super Bowl XXXI.

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