Keurig Green Mountain is discontinuing its KOLD soda machine and offering customers refunds for the full purchase price after less than one year on the market, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The company launched the KOLD system last September, allowing consumers to make cold sparkling and still beverages (from brands like The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper Snapple Group) at home at the push of a button. Production of KOLD pods will cease, with existing pod inventory being sold at a discounted price on Keurig.com.
In a statement, Coca-Cola said, “Our partnership with Keurig on the KOLD platform has provided a great opportunity for innovating and learning about new technologies that can deliver our beverages to consumers. Through it, we’ve gained valuable insights into what people want and expect from an in-home, single-serve cold beverage system. We will apply those learnings as we continue to explore innovation that will enable people to enjoy our brands in new ways.”
The suggested retail price of $369.99, as well as the pod cost of more than a dollar each, had people questioning its affordability for the average consumer, the Los Angeles Times reported.
