The Ideas Department: a collection of innovation stories

This is The Ideas Department.

You see, at CCEP, we're bubbling over with innovation and we're packed with people with great ideas. New flavour launches? You got it. Investment in new tech to make operations more efficient? Just keep reading. AI for growing the most efficient crops possible? Yep, that's a thing here, too.

And this new newsletter? Well, this is a collection of these stories.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Ideas Department.

This quarter: bold new flavours, smarter safety, AI crops and much more...

Whether it’s twists on classic favourites, flavour-led inspiration or creative seasonal variants, product innovation is driving momentum for our great brands.

In Great Britain, 2024 saw four new Monster Energy flavours hit shelves – including Monster Juiced Bad Apple, the top energy launch of the year.* Alongside Cosmic Peach, Ultra Strawberry Dreams and Orange Dreamsicle, these innovations made Monster Energy the fastest-growing energy brand in the market*. Flavour innovation has continued in 2025 with the arrival of Lando Norris Zero Sugar.

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In Portugal, we debuted Fuze Tea with our ‘Made of Fusion’ concept, blending tea, fruit and herbs in two Fusion flavours and four Original variants – bringing refreshing innovation to a new market.

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Innovative marketing partnerships are taking our brands to new consumers. At the beginning of the year, we partnered with Xbox to launch a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Fanta. This campaign spanned eight European markets, offering consumers the chance to win limited-edition Xbox consoles and controllers via the Coke App – bringing iconic colour and flavour to life in a whole new way.

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Innovation is key to helping our 41,000 people thrive. In Sweden, we partnered with Linde Safe Guard to launch a wearable safety system that protects pedestrians on site. These pager-style alarms detect nearby moving trucks and alert wearers as well as drivers through sound, lights or vibrations – helping us prevent accidents before they happen.

Clear communication is just as vital – and innovation is helping us become a more accessible business. That’s why we’ve launched Audio Access, a tool that uses AI to turn written content into realistic, human-like speech. It makes internal messages and training content more accessible – especially for neurodivergent or visually impaired colleagues – ensuring every voice is heard and understood.

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From bottling to vending, we’re using cutting-edge tech to create seamless experiences – for our customers and consumers alike.

At our Wakefield site, Europe’s largest soft drinks plant, we’re investing £42.3 million in a state-of-the-art Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) warehouse. Standing 38 metres tall, the ASRS will more than double our warehouse capacity, reduce 18,500 truck journeys a year, and eliminate 441,000 km of road travel – boosting efficiency and cutting our environmental impact.

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And for consumers, our Coke&Go trial in Australia is redefining flexibility. Coke&Go coolers, which are being tested at Sydney Airport, use AI and image recognition technology to make purchases even easier for consumers. Thirsty travellers simply scan a QR code or tap a credit card to unlock the fridge door and help themselves to their chosen beverages. Products and prices are pinpointed using image recognition technology, allowing consumers to seamlessly complete their purchases.

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In Grigny, France, a €150 million investment has boosted production capacity by 60% while reducing carbon emissions by 15%. This wouldn’t have been possible without harnessing local renewable energy sources.

The site will soon become the first local industrial facility to be connected to the local geothermal network, which will allow us to completely shut down our gas boilers and reduce the site’s natural gas consumption by around 80%. The installation of 3,500 m² of solar panels will provide an additional source of local, renewable energy.

When combined with other energy-saving initiatives (including a brand-new heat recovery system, compressed air compressors, and a high-efficiency cooling system), these investments will contribute to a 15% reduction in the site's current total emissions, the equivalent of around 700 tonnes of CO2 per year.**

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We are supporting Avalo – the plant pioneers who are using AI to develop more sustainable seeds. Avalo uses pioneering AI technology to naturally breed seeds that require less water, less fertiliser and ultimately help farmers grow crops more efficiently in a wider range of environments.

This could play a crucial role in helping us cut the carbon footprint associated with sugarcane – something we’re working hard to address, with agricultural ingredients representing around 28% of our value chain greenhouse gas emissions.

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We are also trialling breakthrough technology from Pipeline Organics, which turns sugar-rich wastewater from our manufacturing into a continuous supply of renewable electricity. This remarkable innovation has the potential to power essential processes across our sites, from lighting to powering production lines.

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*  Market data provided by NielsenIQ

** 15% carbon reduction forecast has been calculated based on the impact of sourcing energy from a range of renewable sources, as well as the energy use reduction associated with a number of energy efficiency initiatives over a one-year period. These include the use of geothermal energy in lieu of natural gas and the installation of photovoltaic panels, a heat recovery system, compressed air compressors and a high-efficiency cold production system.