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Coca-Cola Co. plans to start selling its Coke-branded energy drinks in the U.S. in January after clearing a legal hurdle with Monster Beverage Corp. this summer.
Coca-Cola Energy is already available in 25 countries, including Japan and Australia.
Energy-drink maker Monster MNST, -2.82% , which counts Coca-Cola KO, +0.39% as a distribution partner and a significant shareholder, had sought to block the sale of the energy drinks in the U.S. citing a noncompete agreement. In July Coca-Cola won an arbitration claim against Monster, clearing the way for the soda giant to sell the branded energy drink in the U.S.
Coca-Cola said Tuesday that its U.S. energy-drink offering would include cherry as an exclusive flavor. A zero-calorie version of both the regular and cherry flavors will also be available, company officials said, adding the zero-calorie options have been driving much of the recent growth.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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