Monster Energy drinks and Pepsi sodas are two of the most popular beverage brands in the world. But are they actually related? Is Monster made by Pepsi? Let’s take a closer look at the history and ownership of these iconic drink producers.
Is Monster Owned by Pepsi?
No, Monster is not owned by Pepsi. Monster Energy is an independent company not affiliated with Pepsi.
Monster Beverage Corporation, formerly known as Hansen’s Natural Corporation, has been an independent publicly traded company since 1935. Monster Energy drinks were first introduced in 2002.
PepsiCo Inc. is a large global food and beverage corporation that owns many popular soda, snack, and drink brands. But Monster Energy is not one of them.
So while both Monster and Pepsi are major players in the beverage industry, they operate as completely separate businesses. Pepsi does not have any ownership stake in Monster Energy drinks.
Who Does Own Monster?
Monster Beverage Corporation owns and produces Monster Energy drinks.
Monster Beverage Corp is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol MNST. It was founded in 1935 by Hubert Hansen and originally sold juice products under the Hansen’s brand name.
In 1992, Hansen’s launched the Monster Energy line, marketing their drinks as an “ideal combination of the right ingredients in the right proportion to deliver the big bad buzz that only Monster can.” The Monster name and branding steadily grew in popularity over the following decades.
In 2012, Hansen’s officially changed its name to Monster Beverage Corporation to reflect the company’s focus on the Monster Energy drinks. Today Monster Beverage Corp continues to develop, market, and distribute Monster Energy drinks, Rehab energy drinks, NOS energy drinks, Full Throttle energy drinks, Burn energy drinks, Samurai energy drinks, Relentless energy drinks, Mother energy drinks, Power Play energy drinks, and Ultra Energy drinks.
So while not affiliated with Pepsi, Monster Beverage Corp has grown into one of the largest energy drink companies worldwide. The Monster brand remains wholly owned by Monster Beverage Corporation.
What Brands Does Pepsi Own?
While Pepsi does not own Monster, it does own many other major beverage brands. PepsiCo’s beverage portfolio includes:
- Pepsi sodas
- Mountain Dew
- Gatorade
- Tropicana juices
- Lipton teas
- Bubly sparkling water
- Aquafina water
- Starbucks ready-to-drink coffees (joint partnership with Starbucks)
In addition to these beverage products, PepsiCo owns popular snack brands like Lays, Doritos, Cheetos, Ruffles, and Quaker.
So while not in the energy drink business, PepsiCo still produces many familiar drinks, juices, sodas, coffees, waters, and enhanced waters under its corporate umbrella. Monster is not one of its brands, however.
Monster and Pepsi Company History Comparison
| Monster Beverage Corp | PepsiCo |
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This summary shows while both major beverage companies, Monster and Pepsi have distinctly different histories and ownership structures. Monster started on the West Coast in 1935 selling juices. Pepsi was formed much later in 1965 by merging the Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola brands.
And in terms of scale, Pepsi is massive with over $79 billion in revenue. Monster is smaller at just over $5 billion in sales. So while competing in the beverage space, they are very different businesses.
Do Monster and Pepsi Ever Collaborate?
While Monster and Pepsi operate independently, they have collaborated on some limited edition drink products.
For example, in 2010 Pepsi released a special line of sodas called Pepsi Max Cease Fire which were advertised and endorsed by the Monster brand.
And in 2012, Monster and Mountain Dew partnered to create the beverage line called Monster/Green/Mean Tangerine. This was a Tangerine flavored line using the Monster Energy blend along with Dew branding.
So the two companies have worked together for some special cross-promoted releases. But Pepsi has no outright ownership or control over Monster’s core energy drink products and business.
Comparing Monster and Pepsi Energy Drinks
Since Pepsi does not own Monster, the two brands produce competing energy drink products:
| Monster Energy Drinks | Pepsi Energy Drinks |
|---|---|
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Looking at these product lines, Monster focuses purely on the Monster branded energy drinks in many flavors and varieties.
Whereas Pepsi produces energy products under the AMP Energy, Mountain Dew, and Starbucks Doubleshot brands. Pepsi positions these products as additions to its existing beverage portfolio.
So energy drink consumers can choose between Monster and Pepsi’s offerings. But Pepsi does not have ownership or control over the Monster brand itself.
Conclusion
In the end, while major players in the beverage industry, Monster Energy and Pepsi are completely separate companies without any shared ownership or control.
Monster Beverage Corporation owns the Monster Energy drink line and handles its production and distribution independently.
And PepsiCo owns major soda, juice, water, coffee, and snack brands, but does not own any part of Monster Energy drinks. The two may occasionally collaborate on special product releases, but otherwise operate as distinct competitors in the beverage market.
So is Monster a Pepsi brand? No. Monster Energy drinks are produced solely by Monster Beverage Corp without any affiliation to PepsiCo.