Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola Co. completed a $2.15 billion 16.7% minority stake in Monster Beverage Corp.
- As part of the deal, Monster will gain ownership of Coca-Cola's global energy business, including NOS, Full Throttle, Burn, Mother, BU, Gladiator, Samurai, Nalu, BPM, Play and Power Play, Ultra, and Relentless.
- In return, Coca-Cola received Monster's non-energy business, which includes Hansen’s Natural Sodas, Peace Tea, Hubert’s Lemonade, and Hansen’s Juice Products.
Dive Insight:
Even in the midst of potential legal woes on the side of Monster, Coca-Cola still pushed forward with the deal. It's looking at Monster's non-energy brands to help it continue to expand its product selection while diversifying into more than soft drinks alone.
"We are excited by the addition of The Coca-Cola Co. energy brands to our Monster energy portfolio, which will provide us with complementary product offerings in many countries, access to new geographies as well as access to new channels, including vending and specialty accounts," Rodney Sacks, Monster's chairman and CEO, said recently.
As a result of the arrangement due to distributor termination costs, Monster posted a 95% earnings drop in its latest quarter.