Monster Beverage Corporation is an American
beverage company
The drink industry (or drinks industry, also known as the beverage industry) produces drinks, in particular ready to drink products. Drink production can vary greatly depending on the product being made. ManufacturingDrinks.com explains that "bott ...
that manufactures
energy drinks including
Monster Energy,
Relentless and
Burn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
. The company was originally founded as Hansen's in 1935 in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...
, originally selling juice products. The company renamed itself as Monster Beverage in 2012, and then sold their Hansen's juices and sodas and their other non-energy drink brands to
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...
in 2015.
As of 2020, Monster held nearly 39% of the $5.7 billion US energy drink market, the second highest share after
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwide, inc ...
.
History
Hansen's was founded in 1935.
In the 1930s, Hubert Hansen and his three sons began selling juice to film studios and retailers in Southern California under the Hansen's name. In the 1970s, Tim Hansen (the grandson of Hubert) developed and marketed a variety of sodas and juices, also under the Hansen's label.
The company became Hansen's Juices, and later The Fresh Juice Company of California. The plant that was opened in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
in 1946 was used until operations were moved to a new plant in
Azusa, California
Azusa (Tongva: ''Asuksa-nga'') is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
Its population was 50,000 in 2020, a ...
in 1993. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1988, and was acquired by the California CoPackers Corporation and renamed Hansen Natural Company. In 1998, the company moved from
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...
to
Corona, California
Corona ( Spanish for "Crown") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. The cities of Norco and Riverside lie to the north and nor ...
. On January 5, 2012, after energy drinks had grown to the largest source of revenue, shareholders agreed to change the name of the company from Hansen's Natural to Monster Beverage Corporation, under the new ticker MNST. Shareholders also approved an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock to 240,000,000 shares from 120,000,000 shares.
In April 2008, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
ruled products containing
high-fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by en ...
could not be labeled "natural". Shortly after, Hansen's Natural Corporation announced they had begun using cane sugar instead.
In September 2009, Hansen brand Monster Energy sent a
cease and desist
A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
letter to
Rock Art Brewery, demanding the
microbrewery
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
stop selling its new Vermonster beer, drop its pursuit of a federal trademark for the name, and pay Hansen's lawyer fees. This resulted in a boycott of all Hansen products by a few Vermont retailers.
In June 2015,
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...
took ownership of Hansen's juice products and sodas, Hubert's Lemonade, Blue Sky sodas, Peace Tea and other non-energy drink brands, in exchange for their energy drink brands.
The Coca-Cola Company bought a 16.7% stake for $2.15 billion in Monster Beverage Corp in 2015. This stake has since grown to 19.3% due to share buybacks conducted by Monster Beverage Corp.
In January 2022, the company acquired CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective for . In
February 2022, it was reported Monster and
Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is an American producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. Constellation is the largest beer import company in the US, measured by sales, and has the third-largest market share (7.4 percen ...
were considering a merger which would have a combined market capitalization above $90 billion.
Sponsorship
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
announced on December 1, 2016, a multi-year deal that will make Monster Energy only the third entitlement sponsor in its
premier series history. However, this deal ended after the 2019 race season, and the series will be known as simply the "NASCAR Cup Series" from 2020 onward. The company is expected to continue sponsoring individual drivers, including
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...
,
Ty Gibbs,
Hailie Deegan, and
Riley Herbst
Riley Dederick Kern Herbst (born February 24, 1999) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Cam ...
into the future. Monster remains a secondary sponsor.
Professional Bull Riders
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, th ...
Unleash the Beast Series
The Unleash the Beast Series (UTB) is the Premier Series of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Monster Beverage Corporation is the current series sponsor for the premiership since 2018. From its founding in 1994 until 2002, it was sponsored by ...
carries a Monster Energy sponsorship.
World of Outlaws features the NOS brand as its title sponsor.
AMA Supercross features Monster Energy as its title sponsor.
Finances
For the fiscal year 2017, Monster Beverage reported earnings of US$821 million, with an annual revenue of US$3.369 billion, an increase of 10.5% over the previous fiscal cycle. Monster Beverage's shares traded at over $51 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at US$29.9 billion in November 2018.
Products
*
Monster Energy
*
Relentless
*
Full Throttle
*
NOS
*
Mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ge ...
*
Burn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
* Predator
*
Reign (drink), Reign
*
Live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
* Live (band), American alternative rock band
* List of album ...
*
True North
True north (also called geodetic north or geographic north) is the direction along Earth's surface towards the geographic North Pole or True North Pole.
Geodetic north differs from ''magnetic'' north (the direction a compass points toward t ...
Former products
Natural soda
''Natural Soda'' comes in twelve flavors: Original Cola, Ginger Ale, Key Lime Twist, Cherry Vanilla Creme, Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Vanilla Cola, Mandarin Lime, Creamy Root Beer, Raspberry, Mango Orange, and Pomegranate.
All Hansen's sodas are made with
cane sugar
Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula .
For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...
.
Diet soda
Their ''
Diet Soda
Diet or light beverages (also marketed as sugar-free, zero-calorie, low-calorie, zero-sugar or zero) are generally sugar-free, artificially sweetened beverages with few or no calories. They are marketed for diabetics and other people who want to ...
'' is available in ten flavors: Cola, Black Cherry, Peach, Kiwi Strawberry, Vanilla Cherry Créme, Tangerine, Lime, Ginger Ale, Root Beer, Grapefruit, and Pomegranate. Hansen's diet soda is sweetened with
acesulfame potassium and
sucralose
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body, so it is noncaloric. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. It is produced by chlorination ...
. All diet sodas are OU Kosher certified.
Drink mixers
Monster Beverage sells three flavors of
soda mixer: Tonic, Ginger Ale, and Club Soda.
Fruit juices
The company sells thirteen fruit juices in 64-ounce
PET bottles, several of which are available in smaller bottles for kids. These include Apple, Grape, White Grape, Pineapple, Apple Grape, Apple Strawberry, Orange, Cranberry Apple, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Organic Apple White Grape, Organic Apple Wild Berry and Organic Apple. Hansen's Natural Organic Apple Juice is made solely from concentrates the company obtains from China. Hansen's uses concentrates from China in other varieties of its juices, despite the availability of such juice concentrates made from fruit grown and processed in the United States, which grows an abundance of apples, as well as many of the other fruits used in Hansen's juice products. These juices contain 120% of the United States Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDA) for Vitamin C (except Pomegranate, which contains 100%).
In 2009, Monster Beverage introduced Hansen's Natural Lo-Cal 64-ounce juice cocktails, in four flavors. They are sweetened with
Truvia.
Hansen's fruit juice smoothies contain approximately 25% juice and provide 100% of the recommended daily adult intake of Vitamins A, C, and E. They are packaged in 11.5-ounce aluminum cans.
Juices for children
Hansen's Juice Blast line of children's juice drinks was launched in conjunction with
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation ( doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores ( warehouse club). As of 2022, Cost ...
and sold in Costco stores. Hansen also has a Juice Slam line of children's juice drinks. Both lines are sold in 6.75-ounce boxes.
In May 2001, Hansen's acquired the
Junior Juice
Monster Beverage Corporation is an American beverage company that manufactures energy drinks including Monster Energy, Relentless (drink), Relentless and Burn (energy drink), Burn. The company was originally founded as Hansen's in 1935 in Southe ...
beverage business. Hansen's Junior Juice is 100% juice, sold in 4.23-ounce cartons and targeted at toddlers and preschoolers. Certain flavors of Junior Juice have calcium added and all flavors contain 100% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C. The brand was introduced in 1991 by
McCain Foods, and sold to the Pasco Beverage Group in 2000 before being sold again, to Hansen's. Hansen's replaced the original four mascots, Uncle Froggy, Emily the Mouse, Ronald Rabbit, and Nick the Fox, with
Clifford the Big Red Dog
''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' is an American children's book series about the adventures of a precocious girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by No ...
.
In July 2008, Hansen's introduced Hansen's Organic
Junior Water, in 4.23-ounce packages aimed at children between two and six years old. The Hansen's Organic Junior Water line of flavored water contains 100% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C and thirty calories per serving. Also in 2008, organic Junior Water was introduced. Hansen's later introduced Coconut Water Twist, containing
coconut water
Coconut water (also coconut juice) is the clear liquid inside coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As growth continu ...
,
and Garden Twist, a combination of fruits and vegetables, which is the only Junior Juice variant to be sold in bottles.
Other beverages
''Smoothies'', ''Rumba Energy Juice,'' ''Energade,'' and ''Energy Formula,'' are minor products. Monster owns
Blue Sky Beverage Company, which manufactures several soft drinks. Monster produces the ''Monster'', ''Lost'', and ''Rumba''
energy drinks, which were previously distributed in the United States by
Anheuser Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...
. On November 10, 2008, distribution of the Monster Energy and Monster Java products was turned over to
Coca-Cola Enterprises.
In August 2009, Hansen's introduced the SELF Beauty Elixir line, a low-calorie beverage containing vitamins, minerals, natural fruit & botanical extracts, antioxidants and 30% fruit juice. The beverage contains 35 calories and a low amount of sodium per 8-ounce aluminum can.
Signature Soda
Hansen's ''Signature Soda'' line included Black Cherry, Vanilla Cream, Orange Cream,
Ginger Beer
Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. Historically it was produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar.
Current ginger beers are often mass production, manufact ...
, and
Sarsaparilla flavors.
[
]
Natural and diet tea sodas
Hansen's Natural and Diet Soda flavors included: Black Cherry, Tangerine, Tropical, Orange Mango, Peach Mango, Peach, Cherry, Cranberry, Clear Root Beer, Vanilla Coffee, Low Cal Wildberry, Low Cal Cola, and Low Cal Creamy Cola.
In 2006, Hansen's introduced a line of iced teas in 16-ounce PET bottles. Some varieties were sweetened with cane sugar and some were unsweetened. Flavors included Lemon Mint, Pomegranate, Ginger, and Tangerine. There were also three flavors of diet green tea
Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since ...
soda: Lemon Mint, Ginger and Tangerine. Each bottle of tea contained 75 mg of Epigallocatechin gallate
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is the ester of epigallocatechin and gallic acid, and is a type of catechin.
EGCG – the most abundant catechin in tea – is a polyphenol under basic research for it ...
. Hansen's also made tea bag
A tea bag, or the compound teabag, is a small, porous, sealed bag or packet, typically containing tea leaves or the leaves of other herbs, which is immersed in water to steep and make an infusion. Originally used only for tea ('' Camellia ...
s.
Controversies
In 2018, ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' brought out an article in which five women accused Monster Beverage of having an abusive and discriminatory culture. Brent Hamilton, then head of music marketing at Monster Energy, had been charged with assault for strangling and biting his girlfriend in 2016, but he wasn't let go until 2019, allegedly for sexual misconduct. Manager Phillip Deitrich regularly humiliated and boycotted a female subordinate in public, and denied her increases in compensation. VP John Kenneally was accused of retaliation, bullying, and sexual harassment. According to three women, he subverted their reputations and forced them to abandon the company. One woman had responded to his advances but suffered nothing but abuse as a consequence of his jealous personality. She was ultimately forced out of the company by Kenneally after objecting to him calling her a "whore". Kenneally was fired two weeks after the article was released. In March 2018, a sixth woman came forward, accusing retired manager Ted Cook of sexual harassment, and claimed being fired for mercurial reasons.
References
External links
*
{{authority control, state=expanded
Food and drink companies established in 1935
1935 establishments in California
Companies based in Corona, California
Drink companies based in California
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1988
1990 initial public offerings
Coca-Cola