BURLINGTON, Mass., and FRISCO, Texas — Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) will acquire the global rights to the nonalcoholic, ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail brand Atypique from Station Agro-Biotech, a Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec-based company that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter.
Atypique is an offering in the emerging and fast-growing nonalcohol cocktail segment, providing a range of RTD cocktails such as margaritas, gin and tonic, and mojitos. In Canada, nonalcoholic cocktails grew more than 30% in retail dollar sales during the last year, and Atypique now has a 42% market share of that segment, where it is distributed.
The agreement includes a multiyear collaboration between the two companies to fuel accelerated growth for Atypique, leveraging Station Agro-Biotech’s research-and-development expertise in the category and KDP’s robust sales and distribution network, KDP said.
“At Keurig Dr Pepper, we strongly believe in innovation to drive growth to meet the evolving beverage needs of consumers,” said Ozan Dokmecioglu, CFO and president of KDP’s International division. “We are excited to add this new platform to our powerful portfolio in Canada, and the global rights to Atypique provides optionality to further expand the brand’s growth potential.”
Olivier Lemire, president of Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, added, “Atypique is a great complement to our successful ready-to-drink alcohol portfolio, and we look forward to continue innovating around this brand to drive accelerated growth.”
Jonathan Robin, president of Station Agro-Biotech, said, “We were looking for the best way to bring Atypique to the next level. This agreement represents an exceptional opportunity to work with a beverage industry leader, and Keurig Dr Pepper will bring market knowledge and strength to the Atypique brand. At the same time, we are delighted to have the opportunity to keep growing and innovating within a category in full effervescence and have more time to spend doing R&D in the broader beverage space.”
North American beverage company Keurig Dr Pepper has annual revenue approaching $13 billion. It is based in Burlington, Mass., and Frisco, Texas.
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