An overview of Monster Beverage Corporation

Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) is based in California. It manufactures alternative beverages. The alternative beverage category includes energy drinks, sports drinks, non-carbonated ready-to-drink iced teas, lemonades, juice cocktails, juices and fruit beverages, ready-to-drink dairy, and coffee drinks.

Monster Beverage is the second largest energy drink maker. It sold over 10 billion energy drinks in the past 12 years.

In 2002, Monster Beverage launched its key energy drink brand—Monster Energy. The company’s revenues grew from $92 million in 2002 to $2.25 billion in 2013. A strong portfolio of energy drinks, aggressive advertising campaigns, and continued innovation helped the company sustain its leadership position over the years. The company is 15th on Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s most innovative companies. According to Euromonitor International, Monster Beverage—together with Red Bull GmbH—holds 78% of the US energy drinks’ market share.

Monster Beverage’s key competitors in the non-alcoholic beverage industry include The Coca-Cola Company (KO), PepsiCo Inc. (PEP), Dr  Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (DPS), Red Bull GmbH, Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (KRFT), Suntory Holdings Limited, Nestlé, Tree Top, Inc., and Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. To learn more, read Investor insights on the non-alcoholic beverage industry.

Monster Beverage and its peers are part of several consumer staples ETFs—like the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP), the Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC), the and First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX Fund (FXG).

In this series on Monster Beverage, we’ll discuss the company’s dominant position in the energy drink market. We’ll discuss its landmark deal with Coca-Cola. We’ll also analyze its international presence, financial performance, and other key aspects.