Dong-A Otsuka has brought back the caffeinated drink "X Cocas," which was discontinued in 2011, for the first time in about 15 years. Using 100% green tea–extracted natural caffeine and theanine, an ingredient that helps ease tension, it kept its health-focused product identity.
According to the food industry on the 29th, Dong-A Otsuka relaunched Cocas this month and began sales through Dong-A Otsuka vending machines nationwide. The relaunch is seen as a strategy to respond to rising demand for low-calorie, high-caffeine drinks, especially among people in their teens to 30s.
Dong-A Otsuka has operated a lineup that emphasizes a health image, including Pocari Sweat, Dejava, Oronamin C, and Confidence. However, the company has faced criticism that these products alone have limits in sufficiently absorbing the expanding demand for energy drinks.
Dejava (55 mg of caffeine) and Oronamin C (about 12 mg) contain small amounts of caffeine, but they are more squarely milk tea and vitamin drinks, respectively, and Confidence bills itself as a vitality drink but does not contain caffeine.
The relaunched Cocas has expanded its volume from the previous roughly 100 mL bottle to a 355 mL can. Distribution is being carried out on a limited basis through specialized sales channels such as vending machines, rather than general channels like convenience stores or big-box retailers. It is also being sold through some e-commerce channels.