28 May 2025 Coca-Cola SA launches Charged energy drink

Coca-Cola expands its local beverage lineup in South Africa …..

Coca-Cola South Africa has introduced Charged, a sparkling strawberry-flavoured, caffeinated beverage, aimed at energising consumers with a bold and refreshing taste. 

The launch follows the product’s earlier success in India, Nepal, and Vietnam and marks a new addition to The Coca-Cola Company’s SA beverage portfolio. 

Note that Coca-Cola does not explicitly call Charged an energy drink: instead, it is called a caffeinated beverage and the marketing talks primarily about focus. The brand is a conscious move away from positioning energy drinks slightly away from sports.

“We are excited to bring Charged to South Africa, offering a refreshing new way for consumers to get the fuel they need to maximize each day,” said Natasha Chetty, Emerging Categories Senior Director at Coca‑Cola Africa. 

Chetty noted that the launch underlines Coca-Cola’s commitment to innovation and to meeting the evolving preferences and lifestyles of its consumers. 

The beverage is presented in vibrant 500ml cans, with packaging that features a dynamic thunderbolt design to reflect the brand’s energetic appeal and to ensure shelf visibility. 

Charged is now available at major retail outlets across South Africa. 

Coca-Cola also markets its Monster energy drink brand in South Africa and its Predator energy drink brand in selected other markets in Africa. In 2019, the company also launched its Coca-Cola Energy brand in South Africa, now retired.

In 2019 Coca-Cola South Africa also cut the sugar in its products by 26% to avoid higher prices caused by the introduction of a sugar tax. Charged, however, still contains a big sugar kick, 34g in a 500ml can.

Source: Coca-Cola SA