Coke acquires sports drink

Coca-cola Co. is making a multibillion-dollar bet on the sports drink brand Bodyarmor as part of a larger push to diversify its offerings.

Coke said Monday it paid $5.6 billion for the remaining 85 percent of Bodyarmor. Coke originally bought a 15 percent stake in the Bodyarmor in 2018.

Coke confirmed Bodyarmor is its largest-ever brand acquisition. The deal is part of a multiyear effort at Coke to move beyond sugary soft drinks and into other categories like juices, enhanced waters and sports drinks. Coke bought the Fairlife milk brand in 2020 and Costa coffee in 2019.

Bodyarmor was founded a decade ago by Lance Collins, the founder of Fuze Beverage, and Mike Repole, who started the Smartwater and Vitaminwater brands. Coke also bought Fuze and Repole’s company — Energy Brands — in 2007.

Basketball star Kobe Bryant was an early investor in Bodyarmor, becoming its thirdlargest shareholder and a member of its board in 2013.

In a statement Monday, Repole credited Bryant — who died in a 2020 helicopter crash — with the brand’s growth.

Coke announced the acquisition at 8:24 a.m. Monday to honor Bryant, who wore the jersey numbers eight and 24 in his NBA career.

Bryant’s estate stands to gain $400 million from the Bodyarmor sale, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. Coke and Bodyarmor would not confirm that amount.

Bodyarmor had the thirdhighest market share in the U.S. sports drink category in 2020, with 9.3 percent, according to Euromonitor. Pepsico’s Gatorade, the market leader, controlled 68 percent, while Coke’s Powerade brand was second with 14 percent.