Keurig is pulling the plug on its drink machine that allows consumers to make Coke products at home.
In an email to Beverage Digest on Tuesday, the Vermont-based company said the product — known as Keurig Kold — is being discontinued because it failed to meet expectations.
“We view it as a significant innovation but we heard from consumer feedback that while it delivered great tasting cold beverages, the initial execution didn’t deliver fully on expectations of consumers,” Keurig spokeswoman Suzanne DuLong told Beverage Digest.
Media outlets in Vermont said Keurig is eliminating 100 jobs as a result of the Kold cut.
“This is obviously incredibly difficult news for the Vermonters affected by these layoffs,” Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin told the Burlington, Vt., Free Press in a statement Tuesday. “Our first concern is for them and their families.”
Keurig Kold was launched last September and was billed as as a way for consumers to make cold “sparkling and still beverages at home at the push of a button, including beloved favorites from The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper Snapple Group.”
But the product never took off and was criticized as being too pricey — it cost more $350 — and impractical. The individual pods, which made a small 8-ounce glass — cost about $5 for a pack of four.
In a statement, Atlanta-based Coke, which at one time had a stake in Keurig, told Beverage Digest: “Our partnership with Keurig on the KOLD platform has provided a great opportunity for innovating and learning about the new technologies that can deliver our beverages to consumers. Though it, we’ve gained valuable insights into what and expect from an in-home, single-serve cold beverage system. We will apply those learnings as we continue to explore innovation that will enable people to enjoy our brands in new ways.”
