ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Food Navigator USA reports that James Quincey, CEO, The Coca-Cola Company, told analysts that he sees “a huge expanding opportunity for The Coca-Cola Company that allows us to remain true and strong to our core … and yet expand broadly to meet the consumer wherever they want to be met.”

After slashing its brands during the pandemic, the company is ready to regrow. “In 2017, we talked about an addressable market of $650 billion, and the categories we competed in were the ones that you knew we competed in—so colas, sparkling, juices, energy, water, sports,” he told the Consumer Analyst Group of New York’s conference.

“But now,” Quincey said, “we have begun experimenting in other categories—the hot categories, like in coffee, and some of the alcohol categories, or what we call here emerging.”

Quincey said that The Coca-Cola Company has a new approach to innovation that is more experimental yet stringent and action-oriented. He touted an increased success rate with innovations, including higher profits per launch.

Some examples of innovation cited by Food Navigator USA: “a premium version of Schwepps, energy-balancing benefits from Costa coffee products and Smart water, functional benefits from the incorporation of Body Armor and sustainability shifts that include tethered caps and label-less bottles.”

NACS Magazine covered the wave of genre-blending alcoholic drinks in October in “A Boozy Blur.” Hard Fresca and a Jack & Coke canned cocktail are among the offerings The Coca-Cola Company unveiled in 2022.