# Sprite (drink)
**Sprite** is a lemon-lime flavored, caffeine-free carbonated soft drink produced by [The Coca-Cola Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-coca-cola-company), which the company describes as the world's No. 1 lemon-lime soft drink.[1](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/brands/sparkling-soft-drinks/sprite) It was introduced in the United States in 1961 and is sold worldwide in sugared, zero-sugar, and flavored variants.[2](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/our-company/history/coca-cola-a-short-history-125-years-booklet.pdf?o=7620&offset=15) • [3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First sold | United States, February 1, 1961[2](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/our-company/history/coca-cola-a-short-history-125-years-booklet.pdf?o=7620&offset=15) |
| Origin | Developed in the late 1950s by The Fanta Beverage Company, a Coca-Cola subsidiary, as a clear, fresh drink usable as both a soda and a mixer; ten names were tested before Sprite was chosen because it was short, sharp and easy to remember[4](https://www.coca-cola.com/dk/da/media-center/sprite-revolutionerer-den-danske-torst) |
| Positioning | Described by its owner as the world's No. 1 lemon-lime soft drink, with intense carbonation and crisp lemon-lime taste[1](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/brands/sparkling-soft-drinks/sprite) |
| Caffeine | None; Sprite is marketed as a caffeine-free alternative within the Coca-Cola portfolio[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products) • [5](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/faq/ingredients) |
| Nutrition (US, 12 fl oz can) | 140 calories, 38 g carbohydrates, 38 g total sugars (76% Daily Value of added sugars), 65 mg sodium; zero-sugar version has 0 g sugar[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products) |
| Main variants | Sprite, Sprite Zero Sugar, Sprite Zero Sugar Prebiotic (6 g fiber, 15 calories per can), and flavored editions such as Sprite + Tea Peach[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products) |
| Competitors | 7 Up and PepsiCo's Starry, which replaced Sierra Mist in the lemon-lime category[6](https://www.axios.com/2024/02/06/super-bowl-2024-commercials-pepsi-starry-doritos) |
## Development and launch
Work on the drink began in the late 1950s, when The Coca-Cola Company set out to make a beverage with a clear and fresh profile. According to Coca-Cola's Danish market history, The Fanta Beverage Company, a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, was responsible for the product development, and the new drink was intended to serve both as a soda and as a mixer for spirits. Ten candidate names were tested before the choice fell on Sprite, chosen because the word was short, sharp and easy to remember.[4](https://www.coca-cola.com/dk/da/media-center/sprite-revolutionerer-den-danske-torst)
Sprite was introduced in the United States on February 1, 1961.[2](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/our-company/history/coca-cola-a-short-history-125-years-booklet.pdf?o=7620&offset=15) It joined a portfolio that had expanded beyond the original cola in the same era: Fanta Orange had been introduced in Italy in 1955, the [Minute Maid](https://www.edgepedia.org/minute-maid) purchase of 1960 marked the company's first venture outside carbonated beverages, and TaB, its first diet drink, followed in 1963.[7](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history)
The drink spread internationally over the following decades. Coca-Cola introduced it to Denmark in 1972, where it became associated in the 1970s with a yo-yo street culture, and to Norway in 1987, where it is today the country's most popular citrus soda.[4](https://www.coca-cola.com/dk/da/media-center/sprite-revolutionerer-den-danske-torst) • [8](https://www.coca-cola.com/no/no/brands/sprite) A sugar-free Sprite light appeared in Norway the same year, later renamed Sprite No Sugar in 2004.[8](https://www.coca-cola.com/no/no/brands/sprite)
## Ingredients and nutrition
The United States original is made from carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, and sodium benzoate as a preservative, with no caffeine and 100% natural flavors.[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products) A 12 fl oz can contains 140 calories and 38 g of sugars, all added.[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products)
Formulas vary by market. The Indian product uses sugar rather than corn syrup and lists acidity regulators (E330, E331) and preservative (E211); per 100 ml it provides 49 kcal and 11.7 g of sugars.[9](https://www.coca-cola.com/in/en/brands/sprite) The Norwegian formulation lists carbonated water, sugar, acidity regulators (E330, E331), and natural lemon and lime flavorings, at 42 kcal per 100 ml.[8](https://www.coca-cola.com/no/no/brands/sprite) Sprite is sold in a wide range of package sizes, from 7.5 fl oz cans to 3 liter bottles in the United States, and from 180 ml cans to 2.25 liter PET bottles in India.[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products) • [9](https://www.coca-cola.com/in/en/brands/sprite)
The no-sugar line relies on the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium, and carries a phenylalanine notice for people with phenylketonuria.[8](https://www.coca-cola.com/no/no/brands/sprite) • [3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products) A Sprite Zero Sugar Prebiotic variant adds 6 g of dietary fiber from soluble corn fiber per 12 fl oz can at 15 calories.[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products)
## Variants
Beyond the original and zero-sugar versions, the brand has rotated limited-time flavors. Recent United States offerings include Sprite + Tea Peach, which pairs the lemon-lime base with peach tea flavor and is likewise caffeine-free.[3](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products) In 2014 the company released Sprite 6 Mix, a cherry and orange flavored version developed with the basketball player [LeBron James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lebron-james), who had endorsed [Coca-Cola](https://www.edgepedia.org/coca-cola) brands since entering the NBA in 2003; the company described it as its first soda developed in tandem with a celebrity.[10](https://time.com/30953/lebron-james-soda-sprite-6-mix/) Cooling-effect products under the Sprite Chill name, including Sprite Chill Mint Zero Sugar, have been introduced in European markets.[11](https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-08-04/coca-cola-ep-mejora-un-6-el-beneficio-y-mantiene-previsiones-pese-a-la-tension-en-iran.html) • [8](https://www.coca-cola.com/no/no/brands/sprite)
## Marketing
Sprite has positioned itself in music, basketball, and street culture for decades, a strategy its owner describes as showing up consistently rather than chasing trends.[1](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/brands/sparkling-soft-drinks/sprite) A 2005 global campaign built on the idea that Sprite can free you from thirst was credited by an effectiveness case study with greater year-on-year volume growth in the markets that ran it, estimated at £205.5 million in additional sales.[12](https://www.warc.com/en/article/sprite---freedom-from-thirst%3A-a-darwinian-route-to-global-success-8f15adf9755a4e1b9afb379a264e9277) In 2026 the company launched "It's That Fresh," a platform rolled out across 180 markets with a new logo and visual identity, a sonic identity called the Sprite Sound, and partnerships across music, basketball, spicy food, fashion, and street culture.[13](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/sprite-launches-new-global-its-that-fresh-platform-across-180-markets)
## Competition
Sprite's principal rivals in the lemon-lime segment are 7 Up and PepsiCo's Starry, launched to replace [Sierra Mist](https://www.edgepedia.org/sierra-mist). PepsiCo reported that Starry outsold all four of Sierra Mist's final years combined within its first year, while noting that 90% of Americans had not yet tried it.[6](https://www.axios.com/2024/02/06/super-bowl-2024-commercials-pepsi-starry-doritos) Blind taste tests by food publications have placed the competitors closely together, with one ranking Sprite first among more than a dozen lemon-lime sodas and another noting Starry's softer carbonation and sweeter citrus profile.[14](https://www.mashed.com/1277495/lemon-lime-soda-brands-ranked/) • [15](https://eathealthy365.com/7-up-vs-starry-vs-sprite-a-lemon-lime-soda-test/)
## References
1. [Brand Sprite, The Coca-Cola Company](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/brands/sparkling-soft-drinks/sprite)
2. [A Short History of The Coca-Cola Company, 125 Years booklet](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/our-company/history/coca-cola-a-short-history-125-years-booklet.pdf?o=7620&offset=15)
3. [Sprite – Varieties, Nutrition Facts & Ingredients, Coca-Cola US](https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/brands/sprite/products)
4. [Sprite revolutionerer den danske tørst, Coca-Cola Denmark](https://www.coca-cola.com/dk/da/media-center/sprite-revolutionerer-den-danske-torst)
5. [Ingredients FAQ, The Coca-Cola Company](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/faq/ingredients)
6. [Starry gains ground on Sprite in lemon-lime soda battle, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2024/02/06/super-bowl-2024-commercials-pepsi-starry-doritos)
7. [The History of The Coca-Cola Company](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history)
8. [Sprite, Coca-Cola Norge](https://www.coca-cola.com/no/no/brands/sprite)
9. [Brand Sprite, Coca-Cola India](https://www.coca-cola.com/in/en/brands/sprite)
10. [LeBron James Gets His Own Soda, TIME](https://time.com/30953/lebron-james-soda-sprite-6-mix/)
11. [Coca-Cola EP mejora un 6% el beneficio y mantiene previsiones pese a la tensión en Irán, Cinco Días](https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2026-08-04/coca-cola-ep-mejora-un-6-el-beneficio-y-mantiene-previsiones-pese-a-la-tension-en-iran.html)
12. [Sprite – Freedom from thirst: a Darwinian route to global success, WARC](https://www.warc.com/en/article/sprite---freedom-from-thirst%3A-a-darwinian-route-to-global-success-8f15adf9755a4e1b9afb379a264e9277)
13. [Sprite launches new global 'It's That Fresh' platform across 180 markets, The Coca-Cola Company](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/sprite-launches-new-global-its-that-fresh-platform-across-180-markets)
14. [We Tried 18 Lemon Lime Soda Brands & This Was The Best, Mashed](https://www.mashed.com/1277495/lemon-lime-soda-brands-ranked/)
15. [Comparing 7 Up to Pepsi's Starry and Coke's Sprite, Eat Healthy 365](https://eathealthy365.com/7-up-vs-starry-vs-sprite-a-lemon-lime-soda-test/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Beverages and drink culture › Soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages › Soft drink brands and companies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license