Keurig Dr Pepper Expands RTD Portfolio With Atypique Addition

Keurig Dr Pepper intends to acquire the rights to Atypique, a non-alcoholic, ready-to-drink cocktail brand, from Station Agro-Biotech.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Station Agro-Biotech is a Quebec-based company that specializes in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and Atypique produces a variety of RTD cocktails, including margaritas, gin and tonic, and mojitos. The deal includes a multi-year collaboration between KDP and Atypique to accelerate its growth by marrying Station Agro-Biotech's R&D capabilities with Keurig Dr Pepper’s sales and distribution network.

[See also: Keurig Dr Pepper To Pilot Compostable Paper Bottle]

"At Keurig Dr Pepper, we strongly believe in innovation to drive growth to meet the evolving beverage needs of consumers," Ozan Dokmecioglu, CFO and president of international — and soon to be CEO — said in a statement. "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, noted that Atypique strongly complements its existing RTD alcohol portfolio. 

The global RTD cocktails market, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, is expanding, and beverage companies have been eager to strengthen their footholds. Data and tech provider SPINS reports that RTD cocktails have outperformed spirits and liquor for the past two years, growing 143% over two years. 

Among the most highly buzzed partnerships include The Coca-Cola Company’s recent deal with Brown-Forman for an RTD version of the iconic Jack and Coke.

Keurig Dr Pepper is the No. 53 publicly owned consumer goods company. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.