{"id":11637,"date":"2026-02-05T07:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=11637"},"modified":"2026-02-05T07:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:47:08","slug":"nostalgic-shoppers-react-as-minute-maid-discontinues-iconic-drink-after-80-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/?p=11637","title":{"rendered":"Nostalgic shoppers react as Minute Maid discontinues iconic drink after 80 years"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"main\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"hydrate-root sc-10wlkbs-0\" data-component=\"SupportNSCNative\" data-loading=\"lazy\" data-theme-name=\"base\">\n<aside class=\"sc-hez36s-0 dFpFuY\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-1 iBibVd\">\n<h3 data-testid=\"support-nsc-title\" class=\"sc-hez36s-2 jVZWGn\">Your support helps us to tell the story<\/h3>\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-8 juUDRT\">\n<div class=\"sc-hez36s-13 cqPbFA\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-0 rAFIl sc-hez36s-16 jZSKtc\">\n<div class=\"sc-aja53j-6 PdmgT\">\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content-container\" class=\"sc-aja53j-5 eZqxmv\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-collapsed-content\" class=\"sc-aja53j-4 tawua\">\n<div>\n<div data-testid=\"support-nsc-collapsed-content-tablet\" class=\"sc-hez36s-7 gZmYS\">\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"sc-1uza6dc-1 cglitp\">Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-aja53j-1 keLMOw sc-aja53j-7 eMEmGu\"><span data-testid=\"dropdown-with-gradient-dropdown-tablet\" class=\"sc-aja53j-3 dHXFkr\"><span data-action-type=\"Read more\" class=\"sc-aja53j-2 dcYUYI\">Read more<\/span><svg class=\"sc-eaj12q-0 hUgQwJ sc-culv3z-0 eifaJK sc-a5wy94-0 hyKPon\"><use href=\"#ee6613da15642019\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Orange juice lovers are reflecting on the end of an era as Minute Maid has announced it will be discontinuing its frozen products, including its cans of frozen orange juice concentrate. <\/p>\n<p>The breakfast staple \u2014 which was first made available to the public in 1946 \u2014 was meant to provide convenience for households that did not want to spend hours squeezing fresh oranges and instead dropped the frozen can into a pitcher of water for drinking. However, Minute Maid recently announced all of its frozen juices, including lemonade and limeade, would be discontinued in April to prioritize its line of fresh juices. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are discontinuing our frozen products and exiting the frozen can category in response to shifting consumer preferences,\u201d The Coca-Cola Co., which owns Minute Maid, said Wednesday in a statement. <\/p>\n<p>Customers have since expressed their disappointment with the loss of one of the beverages they grew up on. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSad! I know concentrate is not ideal, but it was a cost-effective option and still higher in actual nutrition than trendy drinks like kombucha that are now popular,\u201d one person claimed on X.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-2 cbpRGD sc-awdjp1-3 image align-center\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cXcwgU\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"2\" class=\"sc-awdjp1-0 eksdKh\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/02\/05\/14\/07\/iStock-1492304672.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/02\/05\/14\/07\/iStock-1492304672.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=320&amp;auto=webp 320w, https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/02\/05\/14\/07\/iStock-1492304672.jpg?quality=75&amp;width=640&amp;auto=webp 640w\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The Coca-Cola Co., which owns Minute Maid, announced it was discontinuing all of its frozen juice concentrates in favor of the fresh juices its customers prefer\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"sc-1uf4o3q-0 dkRtZs inline-gallery-btn\" id=\"trigger-autogallery-17865\"><span class=\"sc-1uf4o3q-1 hwVecx\">open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 gtVitN hgzWpY\">The Coca-Cola Co., which owns Minute Maid, announced it was discontinuing all of its frozen juice concentrates in favor of the fresh juices its customers prefer<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 exGSyR\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->Getty Images<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-awdjp1-2 cbpRGD sc-awdjp1-3 image align-center\">\n<figure class=\"sc-1cbdeug-0 cXcwgU\">\n<div data-gallery-length=\"2\" class=\"sc-awdjp1-0 hSoSCy\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/02\/05\/14\/06\/iStock-528960584.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/02\/05\/14\/06\/iStock-528960584.jpeg?quality=75&amp;width=320&amp;auto=webp 320w, https:\/\/static.the-independent.com\/2026\/02\/05\/14\/06\/iStock-528960584.jpeg?quality=75&amp;width=640&amp;auto=webp 640w\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"All of Minute-Maid\u2019s frozen juice concentrates will be discontinued by April\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"sc-1uf4o3q-0 dkRtZs inline-gallery-btn\" id=\"trigger-autogallery-17866\"><span class=\"sc-1uf4o3q-1 hwVecx\">open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"sc-1cbdeug-1 sc-1cbdeug-3 gtVitN hgzWpY\">All of Minute-Maid\u2019s frozen juice concentrates will be discontinued by April<span class=\"sc-1cbdeug-7 exGSyR\"> <!-- -->(<!-- -->Getty Images<!-- -->)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cNooooo! It\u2019s also good to use in cocktails!\u201d another person lamented.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlways remember my mom dumping the frozen glob into a pitcher and breaking it up with a big wooden spoon!\u201d shared a third.<\/p>\n<p>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. Rival Tropicana, which still sells frozen canned juice, was founded in 1947.<\/p>\n<p>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 added lemonade and fruit punch to its lineup in 1980.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, orange juice has struggled as other options, like energy drinks and protein smoothies, have flooded the market. Skyrocketing prices due to poor weather conditions in Brazil and Florida haven\u2019t helped; a 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice costs an average of $4.82 in December, up 13 percent from the prior year, according to U.S. government data.<\/p>\n<p>Consumers also increasingly questioned the added sugar in juices. Minute Maid launched Zero Sugar versions of its fresh juices in 2020. But its frozen juices have languished along with the broader frozen juice category. <\/p>\n<p>U.S. sales of frozen beverages fell nearly 8 percent in the 52 weeks ending Jan. 24, according to the market research firm NielsenIQ.<\/p>\n<p><em>Additional reporting by the Associated Press<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Orange juice lovers are reflecting on the end of an era as Minute Maid has announced it will be discontinuing its frozen products, including its cans of frozen orange juice concentrate. The breakfast staple \u2014 which was first made available to the public in 1946 \u2014 was meant to provide convenience for households that did not want to spend hours squeezing fresh oranges and instead dropped the frozen can into a pitcher of water for drinking. However, Minute Maid recently announced all of its frozen juices, including lemonade and limeade, would be discontinued in April to prioritize its line of fresh juices. \u201cWe are discontinuing our frozen products and exiting the frozen can category in response to shifting consumer preferences,\u201d The Coca-Cola Co., which owns Minute Maid, said Wednesday in a statement. Customers have since expressed their disappointment with the loss of one of the beverages they grew up on. \u201cSad! I know concentrate is not ideal, but it was a cost-effective option and still higher in actual nutrition than&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11637"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}