RICHMOND, Va. -- The Coca-Cola Company has announced they are retiring Northern Neck Ginger Ale at the end of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
News of the local favorite being discontinued isn't a big surprise as the company halted production of the ginger ale this summer due to an aluminum shortage.
Northern Neck Ginger Ale is one of several "underperforming products" being discontinued, the company announced. Other products include TaB diet soda and ZICO coconut water.
“We’re challenging ourselves to think differently about our brands to accelerate our transformation to a total beverage company,” said Cath Coetzer, global head of innovation and marketing operations, The Coca-Cola Company. “This isn’t about paring down to a specific number of product offerings under our brands. The objective is to drive impact and growth. It’s about continuing to follow the consumer and being very intentional in deciding which of our brands are most deserving of our investments and resources, and also taking the tough but important steps to identify those products that are losing relevance and therefore should exit the portfolio.”
Now, a group has started a petition in an attempt to save Northern Neck Ginger Ale.
"Hopefully, we can get enough signatures to show Coca cola how much it means to keep it on our shelves," the "Westmoreland County" group wrote.
So far, the petition has more than 5,500 signatures in three days.
