Soft Drink Manufacturers
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 375 soft drink manufacturers in the US produce carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. Major flavor groups include cola, heavy citrus, lemon-lime, pepper, orange, and root beer. The category includes regular (or full-calorie), diet, and seltzer beverages. Firms may also produce bottled water, sports drinks, energy drinks, juice, dairy, plant-based beverages, and tea and coffee drinks.
CSD Market Declining
The carbonated soft drink (CSD) market is mature, with health-conscious consumers turning to more wholesome options, including bottled water.
Capital-Intensive Operations
Soft drink manufacturing is a volume-driven business that is heavily reliant on sophisticated production facilities.
Industry size & Structure
The average soft drink manufacturer employs about 217 workers and generates about $97 million annually.
- The soft drink manufacturing industry comprises about 375 firms, employs about 81,200 workers, and generates $36.5 billion annually.
- The industry is highly concentrated; the top 50 companies account for 92% of industry revenue.
- Large firms, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr Pepper/Snapple, have international operations and own brands with a global presence.
Industry Forecast
Soft Drink Manufacturers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Oct 21, 2024 - Prices Keep Popping
- Producer prices for soft drink manufacturers continue to rise despite consumer pushback over steeply rising prices. The producer price index (PPI) for soft drink manufacturers, which measures prices before reaching consumers, rose 4% in July compared to a year ago after climbing 13.7% in the previous July-versus-July annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Overall, the PPI for soft drink manufacturers is up 27% since the start of 2021. Meanwhile, employment by the industry was relatively flat year over year in July, according to BLS data.
- While soda is rarely considered a healthy beverage choice, the industry is working to change that with new better-for-you soft drinks. As consumers look to reduce their sugar intake and increase their consumption of better-for-you products and items containing functional ingredients, popular so-called healthier sodas have thrived, Food Dive reports. Jones Soda’s new all-natural prebiotic drink – Pop Jones – landed on supermarket shelves in October and features five flavors including Cucumber Watermelon and Pineapple Ginger. The new sodas are sweetened with real fruit juice, pure cane sugar, and natural stevia leaf extract and are estimated to contain half the added sugar of some functional brands and one-twentieth of a standard soda, while also providing “a generous dose of fiber and immune support,” according to the company. Other “healthy” soda brands include fast-growing Poppi and Olipop. The functional beverage market is forecast to reach $62 billion in 2027 from $50 billion in 2022.
- Bottled water held on to its title as America’s favorite packaged drink, outselling carbonated soft drinks (by volume) for the eighth consecutive year last year, new data from the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) shows. The total volume of bottled water sold in 2023 was 15.94 billion gallons, compared to carbonated soft drinks, which sold 11.84 billion gallons. Bottled water retail sales topped $48 billion, up 6.5% from 2022. Bottled water’s zero-calorie status, lack of artificial ingredients, and perception among many people that it tastes better than tap water make it a favorite among consumers. Americans consumed, on average, 46.4 gallons of bottled water in 2023, compared to 34.4 gallons of soda.
- Dr Pepper has overtaken Pepsi to become the second most popular soda brand in the US behind Coca-Cola, the Food Institute reported in June. Recent data from Beverage Digest shows that although the two brands have been competing for second place for decades, Dr Pepper’s promotion to the no. 2 spot follows a slow but steady rise since almost the turn of the millennium. Huge investments by the Texas-based company in marketing, novel flavors, and a distribution model that sees Dr Pepper dispensed from more soda fountains than any other soft drink are credited for the 139-year-old brand’s rise in popularity. The Dr Pepper brand is growing fastest among Gen Z consumers seeking alternatives to traditional cola drinks. Dr Pepper’s rise demoted Pepsi to third place in market share, followed by Sprite and Diet Coke.
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