Counting Beans

Coca Cola has pursued an aggressive strategy of acquisitions over the years to build their portfolio of products. Coca Cola invested significant resources in R&D but if they miss a trend or see an up and coming brand, they will pursue an acquisition. Notable acquisitions over the years include: Minute Maid (1960), Barq’s (1995), Odwalla (2001), Fuze Beverage (2007), Vitamin Water (2007), Honest Tea (2008), a minority interest in Monster Energy Drinks (2015), and AdeS (2017). One of the most successful acquisitions over the years was Vitamin Water, which was purchased for $4.3 billion. This expanded the company’s line of non-carbonated beverages, an important strategic move as consumers move towards healthier beverages.