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The Coca-Cola Company / PAL
Discontinued: 1980s
Edwin Perkins created "Kool-Aid" in Nebraska as a powder that customers mixed with water and sugar. The original formula used natural flavors and required more sugar than modern versions. Reformulations over the decades gradually altered the taste, and the original eventually disappeared.
Discontinued: 2008
One Pie Canning Company developed this fruit syrup concentrate during the Great Depression. Customers mix one part of ZaRex with seven parts of water to create fruit drinks. It was available in raspberry, grape, fruit punch, and orange, it served multiple purposes—from snow cone flavoring to cocktail mixers. Sales declined in the 1980s, leading to the drink's discontinuation in 2008.
Discontinued: 2000s
Niles Foster spent over a year perfecting his high-vitamin C orange drink formula. The original Hi-C contained orange juice concentrate, peel oil, orange essences, and ascorbic acid. The concentrate was packaged in 56-ounce cans that required no refrigeration. Multiple reformulations over decades gradually eliminated the original.
Discontinued: 1980s
PAL was a regional New England juice brand that was a non-carbonated alternative to soda. It was particularly popular in Connecticut households, where parents appreciated it as a healthy substitute for children at birthday parties.
Discontinued: 1980s
Cott Syrup was a regional New Hampshire product that families mixed with water for summer refreshments. The drink was popular at Lake Winnipesaukee and other vacation destinations, as Cott provided an affordable way to create fruit drinks during hot weather. Regional distribution doomed its competitiveness.
Discontinued: multiple flavors over the years
General Foods introduced Tang as an orange breakfast drink. The mix later gained fame through NASA's space program. The company experimented with multiple fruit flavors throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but most were quietly discontinued as the brand focused on its core orange identity.
Discontinued: 2020
Founded as a natural juice company, Odwalla built a reputation for fresh, minimally processed fruit drinks delivered by a fleet of 230 trucks. A 1996 E. coli outbreak linked to apple juice severely damaged the brand's image. Coca-Cola acquired the company in 2001 but discontinued it in 2020 due to declining sales.
Discontinued: 2001
As a tie-in with "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon, Coca-Cola created this green citrus drink. Hi-C Ecto Cooler was originally expected to last only during the show's run, but consumer demand kept it alive for four years after the series ended. The drink featured the ghost character Slimer on the packaging and was a kid's favorite for many years.
Discontinued: 1993
Boku Adult Juice Boxes was an ambitious concept targeted at adults with sophisticated juice box flavors like White Grape/Raspberry and Orange/Peach. Despite generating $14 million in profits and featuring comedian Richard Lewis in advertisements, the product failed to establish lasting consumer habits. Sadly, adults never fully embraced juice boxes.
Discontinued: multiple flavors retired over the years
Rudolf Wild's pouch-based juice drinks, Capri Sun, included numerous flavors that didn't survive market competition. Safari Fruits, Surfer Cooler, Cola Mix, and Green Granberry were gradually eliminated as the company focused resources on bestselling varieties like Pacific Cooler and Fruit Punch.
Discontinued: 2003
Coca-Cola launched this psychedelic fruit drink with a $30 million marketing campaign featuring kaleidoscopic visuals and New Age messaging. Frutiopia flavors carried names like "Strawberry Passion Awareness" and "Citrus Consciousness." Despite initial success and a Time Magazine award, sales declined rapidly. The brand struggled against established competitors like Snapple.
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Discontinued: multiple varieties retired over the years
Coca-Cola's Minute Maid brand regularly experiments with new flavors and discontinues underperforming varieties. Notable casualties have included Kiwi Strawberry Lemonade, Enhanced Pomegranate Lemonade (subject to a lawsuit over health claims), and the recent Pineapple Horchata from the Aguas Frescas line.
Discontinued: 2007
After discontinuing Ecto Cooler in 2001, Minute Maid renamed it "Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen " and "Crazy Citrus Cooler" in 2006. Consumer nostalgia couldn't sustain sales, and this last version disappeared within a year, ending its 20-year streak on marketplace shelves.
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