There aren’t many drinks out there that really hit the spot on a hot summer day, but Lilt always does.
In its silvery-blue container, the pleasant tropical drink presented exotic flavours of pineapple and grapefruit as something distinct from the most popular fizzy drinks – you know what I mean.
It’s a refreshing and tangy drink that you could forget about until you take a taste and wonder why you spent so long without it.
However, Lilt will certainly be forgotten in the future because the legendary drink brand is being phased out after nearly 50 years.
We’ll have to say goodbye to the drink as we know it, but you won’t have to say goodbye to that ‘completely tropical flavour’.
Coca-Cola, which owns Lilt, has opted to rebrand the refreshing beverage as Fanta.
Fanta already has a variety of flavours, including strawberry, grape, and the holiday-classic lemon, not to mention the much-loved orange, but it will adapt Lilt’s flavours under a new name: Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit.
The new Fanta will be available in 330ml cans, 500ml bottles, and two-litre bottles, all of which promise to have the’same completely tropical taste’ that lovers of Lilt already know and love.
The container will have Fanta branding, but it will also pay homage to its origins with a “graphic hint to the truly tropical taste” of Lilt.
As part of the rollout, a zero-sugar version of the drink will be released, which may come as no surprise to fans of fizzy drinks.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) commented: “Keen Lilt fans may have spotted a gradual transition as the drink has made its way into the Fanta family over the past few months, with changes to its packaging and logo.
“Some have even hypothesised on social media that Lilt may be becoming part of the Fanta brand, and one even went as far as producing their own news broadcast-style video.”
Martin Attock, CCEP GB VP of commercial development, explained that the main priority of the announcement is to ‘reassure Lilt’s loyal fanbase that absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to the iconic taste of the drink they know and love’.
“It’s still bursting with tangy tropical flavours. It’s just got itself a new name,” he said.
The news comes just a couple of years before Lilt was set to celebrate its 50th anniversary following its release in 1975.
