A Bloomberg Business story reports Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. is in talks to acquire Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc., the privately held maker of Bang Energy drinks.
“According to people with knowledge of the matter,” the deal for Vital Pharmaceuticals, also known as VPX, could be valued at $2-3 billion. The talks are at an early stage and could fall apart, the story warned.
Neither company commented to Bloomberg.
The Weston, Fla.-based company had $1.4 billion in retail sales in 2021, according to the report. Its products are available in all 50 U.S. states and 37 countries, according to the company website.
If consummated, it would follow a recent flurry of activity among big-name beverage companies acquiring niche energy drinks. PepsiCo, which bought Rockstar in 2020, ended a distribution agreement in June with Bang, and last month said it would pay $550 million for a small stake in fitness-energy drink maker Celsius Holdings Inc. Coca-Cola has a sometimes rocky minority ownership and distribution agreement with Monster Beverage; meanwhile Coke came out with its own Coke Energy and Monster is rumored to be talking with Corona brewer Constellation Brands.
