Minute Maid is canning its frozen juice line

For 80 years, Minute Maid’s frozen canned juices have been a staple in America’s freezers. Few breakfasts and refreshment breaks didn’t include someone squeezing a cylinder of icy concentrate into a pitcher, adding water and stirring until it became a drinkable delight.

But alas, Minute Maid is saying goodbye to all that, and thanks for the memories.

The beverage brand is discontinuing its lineup of frozen juice concentrates, according to a Feb. 3 announcement made by its parent company,  Coca-Cola. Specific flavors include orange juice, lemonade, limeade, pink lemonade and raspberry lemonade.

In response to the recent announcement, many longtime fans took to the Internet to grieve the impending loss.

“NOOOOOO! This is my literal childhood,” commented one Instagram user under a post made by food blogger Markie Devo about the news.

“My Mom made pies using the lemonade,” wrote another. “They are getting rid of so many childhood memories! Thank you for posting.”

Another mourner cited the product’s affordability, lamenting that Minute Maid’s frozen juice concentrates were “a must” for households that relied on WIC/SNAP benefits. Many others praised them as effective mixers for alcoholic drinks.

Based on the company’s official statement, the passion in these reactions is disproportionate to the enthusiasm reflected in our grocery choices.

“We are discontinuing our frozen products and exiting the frozen can category in response to shifting consumer preferences,” a Coca-Cola Company spokesperson told PEOPLE, who went on to add, “With the juice category growing strongly, we’re focusing on products that better match what our consumers want.

 

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According to Minute Maid’s website, its classic orange freeze was first introduced in 1946, when it was shipped in the U.S. by Florida Foods, Inc, which was then renamed Vacuum Foods Corporation. Florida Foods had previously won a government contract to produce and sell 500,000 pounds of powdered orange juice to the U.S. Army amid World War II. That contract was ultimately cancelled since the war had ended before the product shipped.

By 1980, Minute Maid expanded its offerings to include lemonade and fruit punch.

The frozen products will be phased out in the first quarter of 2026, according to the company, with “in-store inventory available while supplies last.”

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