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Toast - Dasani Water

Why did a successful bottled water from Coca-Cola come and go from the UK within six weeks?

Dasani water, a bottled water from Coca-Cola, proved a big hit in the U.S.A so why did it last for less than 6 weeks in the UK?

The 麻豆社 Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates how it ended up toast, in the company of resident business expert and entrepreneur, Sam White.

In the early 2000s, Coca-Cola had entered the growing bottled water market and was hoping to turn its hit new brand in America into a global sensation.

But shortly after Dasani water was launched in the UK, things quickly went awry, derailing plans for expansion into Europe.

To help explain what happened, Sean and Sam delve into the 麻豆社 archives and hear from expert guests including Graham Hiscott, the journalist whose story shone a new light on to the brand, and Conor Carroll a lecturer and marketing expert who has written about the Dasani debacle.

They also hear from Toast listener, Chris Leversha, who remembers buying Dasani water and suggested we cover it on the show.

At the end, Sam has to come up with her own professional conclusions about the fate of Dasani UK based on what she has just heard.

If you have a good idea for an interesting Toast topic then tell us about it - email toast@bbc.co.uk

Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a 麻豆社 Audio North production for 麻豆社 Radio 4 and 麻豆社 Sounds.

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25 minutes

Last on

Thu 27 Nov 2025 12:32

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Role Contributor
Presenter Sean Farrington

Broadcast

  • Thu 27 Nov 2025 12:32

Podcast