Minute Maid’s frozen juice era is coming to an end in the United States and Canada. The Coca-Cola Co. said Wednesday that it is discontinuing its Minute Maid frozen juice concentrates, a product line the company previously helped popularize as a year-round option for orange juice at home.
Coca-Cola said the brand is exiting the frozen can category in response to shifting consumer preferences, adding that it wants to focus on the fresh juices that customers now prefer. In the same statement, the company said Minute Maid’s frozen juices—including several varieties of orange juice, lemonade and limeade—will be discontinued by April, and that inventory will remain available while supplies last.
Coca-Cola described its decision as part of a broader shift in the juice market. It said the frozen products are being discontinued as demand has moved away from frozen concentrates and toward fresh options that require no mixing.
The Minute Maid frozen juices have long been associated with a home-prep ritual: for generations, consumers bought concentrated frozen juice in cans, then mixed it with water after cracking the can open. Coca-Cola said the history goes back to 1946, when Vacuum Foods Corp. became the first U.S. company to ship frozen orange juice across the country and named the product Minute Maid.
Coca-Cola said Vacuum Foods later changed its name to Minute Maid, while rival Tropicana was founded in 1947 and still sells frozen canned juice. The company also said it acquired Minute Maid in 1960, and that Minute Maid later introduced ready-to-drink orange juice sold in refrigerated cases—allowing consumers to skip the step of mixing concentrate with water. In 1980, Minute Maid added lemonade and fruit punch to the lineup.
In recent years, Coca-Cola said orange juice has struggled as other options have expanded, including energy drinks and protein smoothies. The company also pointed to price pressures, noting that a 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice cost an average of $4.82 in December, up 13% from the prior year, according to U.S. government data.
Coca-Cola also cited changing consumer attitudes around added sugar in juices. It said Minute Maid launched Zero Sugar versions of its fresh juices in 2020, but that its frozen juices have continued to lag along with the broader frozen juice category.
Sales data cited by Coca-Cola indicate declines in the category: U.S. sales of frozen beverages fell nearly 8% in the 52 weeks ending Jan. 24, according to market research firm NielsenIQ. The company’s decision to exit the frozen can category closes a chapter for a brand that helped make orange juice a common breakfast staple long before ready-to-drink refrigerated options became the norm.
Coca-Cola said, “We are discontinuing our frozen products and exiting the frozen can category in response to shifting consumer preferences,” in a Wednesday statement.