Tropical Smoothie Cafe has partnered with The Coca-Cola Company to introduce the Fanta Phantom Smoothie, marking the chain's first dedicated Halloween menu item and its inaugural beverage collaboration with the beverage multinational.
Rolling out to participating locations nationwide from 7 October 2026 for a limited operating period, the seasonal offering translates the flavour profile of Fanta Orange into a blended smoothie format. The limited-time offering (LTO) is also served in the brand's first clear disposable smoothie cup, designed to showcase the contrasting orange and purple colour scheme across front-counter and drive-thru sales.
The launch pairs seasonal foodservice merchandising with multinational FMCG beverage equity, targeting consumer demand for visual, multi-textured novelty drinks during the autumn promotional window.
"When we thought about bringing Fanta Orange into a smoothie, we knew we wanted to do something unexpected," said Deborah von Kutzleben, Chief Marketing Officer at Tropical Smoothie Cafe. "Together with The Coca-Cola Company, we took that iconic orange flavour and blended it with our tropical ingredients to create a one-of-a-kind smoothie experience that's colourful, unexpected and something you can only find at Tropical Smoothie Cafe."
Beverage Formulation and Packaging Architecture
The product build combines carbonated soft drink flavour bases with whole-fruit and dairy ingredients, topped with textured inclusions:
🍊 Fanta Phantom Smoothie: Formulated by blending Fanta Orange flavoured syrup with mango, banana, non-fat yoghurt, and a dash of ground cinnamon, finished with a topping of purple, vanilla-flavoured popping boba pearls.
The introduction of popping boba introduces textural contrast into the traditionally smooth blended dairy and fruit matrix, while the spice note of cinnamon provides an autumnal profile complementing the citrus base.
To highlight the visual presentation of the product, Tropical Smoothie Cafe has deployed clear plastic cold cups across its store network specifically for this launch. Historically, the chain has utilised opaque printed foam or paper cups for its primary beverage lines. The clear packaging format provides visibility for the layered purple boba and vibrant orange smoothie liquid, engineered to encourage organic consumer sharing across digital and social channels.
Foodservice Licensing and Brand Collaboration
The collaboration represents an operational extension of Fanta’s established seasonal brand positioning into commercial quick-service dining.
As the leading fruit-flavoured carbonated soft drink brand in the United States, Fanta has traditionally maintained heavy marketing alignment with Halloween within retail grocery and impulse convenience channels. By formulating a proprietary syrup concentrate suitable for commercial blender stations, The Coca-Cola Company expands the brand's consumption occasions into made-to-order blended beverages.
"Fanta Orange brings a playful personality that made it a great starting point for this collaboration," said Megan Tallman, Vice President of Foodservice Innovation and Equipment at The Coca-Cola Company. "Collaborating with Tropical Smoothie Cafe, we were able to reimagine Fanta Orange in an entirely new way, combining it with their smoothie expertise to create a Halloween treat that gives fans another way to celebrate the season with Fanta."
The Fanta Phantom Smoothie and popping boba customisation options are available across participating Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations nationwide for a limited operating period while promotional ingredients last.
.jpeg)
.jpg)