Updated July 22, 2025 at 9:31 AM CDT
Coke drinkers who want to avoid corn syrup sometimes opt for Mexican Coke, which is made with cane sugar. But the drink's U.S. fans will have a new option later this year.
"We're going to be bringing a Coke sweetened with U.S. cane sugar into the market this fall," Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said on a conference call with analysts Tuesday.
The company announced the change in the quarterly earnings report it released Tuesday, describing the new drink as an expansion of its product line.
Quincey said the new offering would "complement" Coca-Cola's core portfolio of drinks, suggesting it could arrive as an alternative, rather than a replacement, for its flagship Coke product.
Coca-Cola's move comes a week after the White House issued a statement by President Trump saying he had been talking to the soft drink giant about using cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup in its signature drink.
"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!" Trump said.
Trump is a noted fan of Diet Coke, a product line that is mainly sweetened with the artificial sweetener aspartame.
The president's involvement in the recipe of a popular drink was noted in Tuesday's call, but officials did not go into detail about what, if any, communications they had with the White House.
"As you may have seen last week, we appreciate the president's enthusiasm for our Coca-Cola brand," Quincey said.
The use of domestic sugar aligns with Trump's economic priorities, as he has imposed steep tariffs on dozens of foreign nations. The source of the sugar could also affect the drink's cost: The U.S. sugar industry enjoys substantial market protections against foreign rivals.
"The U.S. has high trade barriers against imported sugar," as NPR's Scott Horsley has reported. "As a result, the price of sugar in this country is usually about twice what it is on the world market."
While some U.S. consumers see Mexican Coke as a unique Coca-Cola product that uses cane sugar, Quincey noted that the company already uses the sweetener in several drinks.
"Actually, we use cane sugar in a number of our other brands in the U.S. portfolio, from lemonade to teas, some of the coffee stuff, some of the Vitamin Water drinks," he said.
But, he added, Coca-Cola wants to explore new options to suit consumer preferences.
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