After 80 years, Minute Maid's frozen canned juices are getting put on ice

"Minute Maid helped make orange juice a year-round morning staple in 1946, when it started shipping cans of frozen juice around the U.S. But 80 years later, the brand's parent company is halting sales of frozen juice concentrates in the U.S. and Canada, saying it wants to focus on the fresh juices that customers now prefer. "We are discontinuing our frozen products and exiting the frozen can category in response to shifting consumer preferences," The Coca-Cola Co., which owns Minute Maid, said Wednesday in a statement."

"In 1946, Vacuum Foods Corp. became the first U.S. company to ship frozen orange juice across the country, according to Coca-Cola. It named the product Minute Maid; Vacuum Foods eventually changed its name to Minute Maid as well. Coca-Cola acquired Minute Maid in 1960, and 13 years later, Minute Maid introduced ready-to-drink orange juice, which was sold in the refrigerated case instead of the freezer and let consumers skip the step of mixing it up."

Minute Maid will discontinue its frozen juice concentrates in the U.S. and Canada, with products phased out by April and inventory available while supplies last. The Coca-Cola Co. attributed the exit from the frozen can category to shifting consumer preferences toward fresh juices. Minute Maid began shipping frozen orange juice nationwide in 1946 and later introduced refrigerated ready-to-drink orange juice after Coca-Cola acquired the brand in 1960. Orange juice sales have faced competition from energy drinks and smoothies, rising prices linked to poor weather in Brazil and Florida, and growing consumer concern about added sugar.

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