Coca-Cola Beverage will increase the ex-factory prices of certain items such as Sprite, Minute Maid, and Georgia by an average of 5.5% starting from the 1st of next month. However, Coca-Cola has been excluded from this price increase.
According to the distribution industry on the 21st, the retail price of a standard Sprite 350ml can will increase from 1,800 won to 1,900 won, and the Fanta 350ml can will rise from 1,600 won to 1,700 won. The Powerade 600ml PET will cost 2,400 won, while the Minute Maid 350ml PET will each rise by 100 won to 2,000 won.
The average international price of aluminum, a raw material for cans, rose by 7.4% last year, and in the first quarter of this year, it increased by nearly 20% compared to the same period last year, reaching the highest level in the last 10 quarters. Although the international price of PET is relatively stable, processing expenses such as electricity and labor costs are expected to rise by about 8%. Due to poor crop yields from unusual weather patterns, coffee bean prices have skyrocketed to an all-time high. With the exchange rate also rising, the cost burden of international raw materials is increasing.
Earlier, Coca-Cola Beverage raised prices in September last year. A Coca-Cola Beverage representative noted that "as economic uncertainties both domestically and internationally have increased due to the tariff imposed by the U.S. Trump administration, the factors driving up expenses remain" and said that "this price increase was minimized in terms of rate and items through consultations with related departments to minimize the burden on consumer prices."