Would You Buy Milk From Coca Cola?

Yup, that's right. Coca Cola is releasing a new product. Milk. There is a little catch though. Half the sugar but twice the price. Would you buy this?

According to usatoday.com, "Coca-Cola, the kingpin of carbonation, is about to get a milk mustache.

The beverage giant announced on Tuesday that its Minute Made division is beginning to sell a premium-priced, protein-boosted milk under the Fairlife label.

It will be available nationally next month when a national ad campaign breaks.

Coke says the milk -- priced about $3.98 to $4.20 for a half gallon -- is specially cold-filtered so that it has 50% more protein, 50% less sugar and 30% more calcium than conventional milk.

It's also lactose free and sold cold, in the dairy case. The line will offer whole milk, reduced fat, fat-free and chocolate versions.

The move comes as carbonated drink sales continue to decline in the U.S. It also comes at a time many consumers are infatuated with all things protein. Some 71% of consumers say they want more of it in their diet says the research firm NPD Group.

In a phone interview, Steve Jones, CEO of Fairlife, strongly insisted that while Coca-Cola is distributing the milk, it is playing no role in the milk's actual production and has nothing to do with what takes place on the dairy farms. "People keep referring to this as 'Coke Milk' and it's not," he says.

Coke's sole job, he says, "is to distribute the milk and make sure it gets on the shelf."

"Coke is not making any milk here," concurs Mike McCloskey, co-founder of Fairlife and CEO of the dairy farm co-op Select Milk Producers. Coke and Fairlife will jointly bring the product to market, though Fairlife will oversee the advertising.

Just as consumers are willing to pay big for premium coffees, they will pay big for premium milk, says Jones.

Over time, Coke and Fairlife executives hope the brand will grow as big -- Jones told USA TODAY, "I hope it's Coke's next billion dollar brand."