Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (‘KDP’), a beverage company, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells hot and cold beverages and single serve brewing systems in North America.
KDP has a broad portfolio of iconic beverage brands, including Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Mott's, A&W, Penafiel, Snapple, 7UP, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, GHOST, Clamato, Core Hydration, and The Original Donut Shop, as well as the Keurig brewing system. The company possesses some of the most recognized beverage brands in North...
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (‘KDP’), a beverage company, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells hot and cold beverages and single serve brewing systems in North America.
KDP has a broad portfolio of iconic beverage brands, including Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Mott's, A&W, Penafiel, Snapple, 7UP, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, GHOST, Clamato, Core Hydration, and The Original Donut Shop, as well as the Keurig brewing system. The company possesses some of the most recognized beverage brands in North America, with significant consumer awareness levels and long histories that evoke strong emotional connections with consumers. The company has a portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed, and partner brands, as well as powerful distribution capabilities.
KDP is a producer of innovative single-serve brewing systems and specialty coffee in the U.S. and Canada, and DPS, a company built over time through a series of strategic acquisitions that brought together iconic beverage brands in North America.
The company is an integrated brand owner, manufacturer, and distributor of beverages in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Strategy
The company’s key strategies are to champion consumer-obsessed brand building; amplify its route-to-market advantage; shape its now and next beverage portfolio; and generate fuel for growth.
Segments
As of December 31, 2024, the company's operating structure consisted of three operating and reportable segments: the U.S. Refreshment Beverages, the U.S. Coffee, and International.
The U.S. Refreshment Beverages
The U.S. Refreshment Beverages segment is a brand owner, manufacturer, and distributor of liquid refreshment beverages (LRBs) in the U.S. In this segment, it manufactures and distributes beverage concentrates, syrups, and finished beverages of its brands to third-party bottlers, distributors, retailers, and, ultimately, the end consumer.
The company manufactures beverage concentrates and syrups, which it then sells throughout the U.S. to third-party bottlers or uses in its own manufacturing systems. Beverage concentrates, which are highly concentrated proprietary flavors, are combined with carbonation, water, sweeteners, and other ingredients, packaged in cans, bottles, or other packaging, and sold as packaged beverages to retailers and, ultimately, the end consumer. Beverage concentrates are also manufactured into syrup, which is shipped to fountain customers, such as fast food restaurants, who mix the syrup with water and carbonation to create finished beverages at the point of sale to consumers. Dr Pepper represents most of its fountain channel volume.
The company manufactures and distributes finished beverages of its own beverage brands. Additionally, in order to maximize the size and scale of its manufacturing and distribution operations, it also distributes finished beverages for its partner brands and manufactures finished beverages for other third parties, including partners and private labels. The company partners with other brands seeking effective route-to-market capabilities, including national selling and distribution scale. These brands can also provide exposure in certain markets to fast-growing segments of the beverage industry in a capital-efficient manner. It sells finished beverages through its DSD and WD systems, both of which include sales to all major retail channels.
Key brands in this segment include Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Mott’s, A&W, 7UP, Snapple, Sunkist soda, Squirt, C4 Energy, Hawaiian Punch, Electrolit, Core Hydration, Bai, Evian, Clamato, Yoo-Hoo, Vita Coco, and Big Red.
The U.S. Coffee
The U.S. Coffee segment is primarily a brand owner, manufacturer, and distributor of innovative single-serve brewers, specialty coffee (including hot and iced varieties), and RTD coffee in the U.S. The company’s Keurig single-serve brewers are aimed at changing the way consumers prepare and enjoy coffee and other beverages both at home and away from home in places, such as offices, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, and convenience stores. The company creates value by developing and selling its Keurig single-serve brewers and by expanding Keurig brewer household adoption, which enables sales of specialty coffee and a variety of other specialty beverages in K-Cup pods (including hot and iced teas, hot cocoa, and other beverages) for use with Keurig brewers. It also competes in the broader coffee category through traditional whole bean and ground coffee in other package types, including bags, fractional packages, and cans, as well as RTD coffee beverages. Together with its partners, the company is able to bring consumers high-quality coffee and other beverage experiences from the brands they love, all through the one-touch simplicity and convenience of Keurig brewers.
The company manufactures and sells 100% of the K-Cup pods of its owned and licensed brands, including Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, The Original Donut Shop, and McCafe, to retailers, away-from-home channel participants, and end-use consumers. It manufactures K-Cup pods for its partner brands, which in turn sell them to retailers and consumers. Partner brands include Starbucks, Dunkin', Folgers, and Peet's, among others. The company has agreements for manufacturing, distributing, and selling K-Cup pods for tea under brands, such as Celestial Seasonings and Bigelow. It produces and sells K-Cup pods for cocoa, including through a licensing agreement for the Swiss Miss brand, and hot apple cider, including under its own brand, Mott's. Generally, it is able to sell these partner brands to its away-from-home channel participants and directly to consumers through its website at www.keurig.com. The company also participates in private label manufacturing arrangements.
The U.S. Coffee segment manufactures K-Cup pods using freshly roasted and ground coffee, as well as tea, cocoa, and other products. The company carefully selects its coffee beans and roasts them to optimize their taste and flavor differences. It engineers and designs most of its single-serve brewers and utilizes third-party contract manufacturers located in various countries in Asia for brewer appliance manufacturing. The company distributes its brewers using third-party distributors, retail partners, and directly to consumers through its website at www.keurig.com.
International
The International segment includes:
Sales in Canada, Mexico, and other international markets from the manufacture and distribution of branded concentrates, syrup, and finished beverages, including sales of its own brands and third-party brands, to third-party bottlers, distributors, and retailers. Key beverage brands include Penafiel, Clamato, Squirt, Canada Dry, Dr Pepper, Mott’s, and Crush.
Sales in Canada from the manufacture and distribution of finished goods relating to its single-serve brewers, K-Cup pods, and other coffee products to partners and retailers, as well as directly to consumers through its website at www.keurig.ca. Key K-Cup pod brands include McCafe, Tim Hortons, and Van Houtte, as well as other partner and private label brands.
Product Innovation and New Partnerships
The company focuses on a robust innovation pipeline within its portfolio of products to build household penetration of its business. It regularly launches new brewers with new features and benefits, technological advances, sustainable attributes, and changes in aesthetics to provide a variety of options to suit individual consumer preferences. The company also continuously innovates and renovates its portfolio of K-Cup pods and beverages to provide an expansive array of flavors.
Effective December 31, 2024, the company acquired a controlling interest in GHOST. GHOST is a lifestyle sports nutrition business with a portfolio anchored by GHOST Energy, a leading ready-to-drink energy brand. The company initially purchased a 60% stake in GHOST, and it also entered into an agreement which requires it to buy the remaining 40% of GHOST in 2028.
During 2024, the company launched its Keurig K-Brew+Chill brewer that features Quick Chill Technology, which delivers iced beverages at temperatures below 60 degrees straight from the brewer, as well as the ability to brew hot beverages. In addition, it announced its multi-year innovation agenda with the Keurig Alta brewer and K-Rounds plastic- and aluminum-free pods.
The company debuted Canada Dry Fruit Splash, which partners classic ginger ale with cherry flavors and a splash of real fruit juice, as well as a limited edition offering of Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut. It launched Mott’s Active, a hydrating juice beverage for kids with naturally sourced electrolytes, no added sugar, and no artificial flavors, in Blastin’ Berry and Watermelon Burst.
The company entered into new partnerships with The Brooklyn Roasting Company, Kahawa 1893, Killah Coffee, and Punk Bunny Coffee, among others, to provide their signature coffee blends in K-Cup pod format.
The company expanded its partnership with Black Rifle Coffee Company to include a sales and distribution agreement for Black Rifle Energy. It also entered into an agreement with Nutrabolt to distribute Bloom RTD energy beverages. The company began distributing under both of these agreements during the fourth quarter of 2024.
Customers
The company primarily serves the following types of customers:
Retailers
Retailers include supermarkets, hypermarkets, mass merchandisers, club stores, e-commerce retailers, office superstores, vending machines, fountains, grocery and drug stores, convenience stores, and other small outlets. Retailers purchase finished beverages, K-Cup pods, appliances, and accessories directly from the company. Its portfolio of strong brands, operational scale, and experience in the beverage industry has enabled it to maintain strong relationships with major retailers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Its largest retailer, Walmart, represented approximately 16% of its consolidated net sales in 2024. Net sales to Walmart are included in all reportable segments.
Bottlers and Distributors
In the U.S. and Canada, the company generally grants manufacturing and distribution licenses for its carbonated soft drinks to bottlers for specific geographic areas that are typically exclusive and long-term. These bottlers may be affiliated with Coca-Cola or with PepsiCo, or they may be independent.
Certain other brands, such as Snapple, Bai, and Core, are licensed for distribution in various territories to bottlers and a number of smaller distributors, such as beer wholesalers, wine and spirit distributors, independent distributors, and retail brokers.
Partners
The company has differentiated itself and the Keurig brand through its ability to create and sustain partnerships with other leading coffee, tea, and beverage brand companies through multi-year licensing and manufacturing agreements that best suit each brand's interests and strengths. Typically, it manufactures K-Cup pods on behalf of its partners, who in turn sell them to retailers.
Away from Home Channel Participants
The company distributes brewers, accessories, and K-Cup pods (owned, licensed, and partner brands) to away-from-home channel participants, which include office coffee distributors and hotel chains.
End-use Consumers
The company has e-commerce platforms at www.keurig.com and www.keurig.ca where end-use consumers can purchase brewers, accessories, K-Cup pods, and other coffee products, such as bagged traditional coffee and cold brew.
Competitors
The company’s primary competitors include Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Starbucks Corporation, The J.M. Smucker Company, The Kraft Heinz Company, and Nestle S.A.
Intellectual Property
Trademarks and Patents
The company owns numerous trademarks in its portfolio within the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other countries.
In many countries outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the manufacturing and distribution rights to many of its CSD brands, including its Dr Pepper trademark and formula, are owned by third parties, including, in certain cases, competitors such as Coca-Cola.
The company holds the U.S. and international patents related to Keurig brewers and coffee pod technology.
Licensing Arrangements
The company licenses various trade names from its partners in order to manufacture and distribute K-Cup pods. Although these licenses vary in length and other terms, they generally are long-term, cover the entire U.S. and/or Canada, and may include royalty payments, upfront payments, or some combination of the two, to the partner in order to use their trade names to manufacture and/or distribute the K-Cup pods.
The company licenses various trademarks from third parties, which generally allow it to manufacture and distribute certain products or brands throughout the U.S. and/or Canada and Mexico. For example, it licenses trademarks for Sunkist soda and Rose's from third parties. Although these licenses vary in length and other terms, they generally are long-term, cover the entire U.S. and/or Canada and Mexico, and generally include a royalty payment to the licensor.
As of December 31, 2024, the company's portfolio of partner brands included, but was not limited to, C4 energy drinks, Electrolit instant hydration beverages, evian water, Vita Coco coconut water, Polar Beverages seltzer water, La Colombe shelf-stable RTD coffee, Black Rifle Coffee Company energy drinks, and Peet's RTD coffee.
Seasonality
The company's cold beverage sales are generally higher during the warmer months, while hot beverage sales are generally higher during the cooler months.
Governmental Regulations
The company’s products and their manufacturing, labeling, marketing, and sale in the U.S. are subject to various aspects of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Robinson-Patman Act, the Clayton Act, the Sherman Act, the Lanham Act, state consumer protection laws, and state warning and labeling laws, such as the state of California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.
Research and Development
The company’s research and development costs are expensed when incurred and amounted to $70 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
History
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. was founded in 1981. The company was incorporated in 2007.