Coca-Cola Coffee to launch in 25 markets by the end of the year

Beverage giant Coca-Cola is planning to launch Coca-Cola Coffee in 25 markets by the end of 2019. Photo / Getty Images

Coca-Cola will ramp up the expansion of its coffee-infused energy-drink this year.

The Beverage giant is planning to launch Coca-Cola Coffee in 25 markets by the end of 2019, according to CNBC.

"Coke Coffee was designed to reach consumers during specific occasions and channels like the mid-afternoon energy slump at work," CEO James Quincey told analysts.

Coke Coffee will have slightly less caffeine than a normal cup of coffee but more than a can of the soda, reports CNBC.

Last year Coca-Cola acquired British coffee chain Costa, the second-largest coffee house in the world, for about US$5.1 billion ($7.7b).

Quincey described the deal as a necessary entryway to the expanding global coffee market.

"Hot beverages is one of the few segments of the total beverage landscape where Coca-Cola does not have a global brand."

According to research by Mintel, ready-to-drink coffee is the fastest growing segment in the coffee category, growing 31 per cent in 2016 and 2017.

"Coca-Cola faces the long-term problem that people are moving away from soda and towards healthier or more functional drinks like coffee," said Jonny Forsyth, global drinks analyst at Mintel.

"Twenty years ago, people would have a coffee in the morning and a coke in the afternoon. Today's consumers are now more likely to have a hot coffee in the morning and a cold coffee in the afternoon."

The deal to buy Costa last year gives Coca-Cola an expanded retail footprint in Europe and China.

UK-based Costa serves its drinks in more than 30 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The majority of its nearly 4,000 stores are in Britain, where the company generates most of its sales.

- Additional reporting Washington Post