Monster Beverage Corporation manufactures energy drinks, natural soft drinks, and fruit drinks including Monster Energy, Hansen's Natural Soda, Hansen's Energy, Hansen's Junior Juice, Peace Tea, and Blue Sky.

 

As of May 2012, Monster held nearly 35% of the $31.9 billion energy drink market.

 

History

Hansen's Natural Sodas have been a natural soda brand in Southern California for the past 30 years.In the 1930s, Hubert Hansen and his three sons began selling juice to film studios and retailers in Southern California under the Hansen's name. In the 1970s, Tim Hansen (the grandson of Hubert) developed and marketed a variety of sodas and juices, also under the Hansen's label.

The company became Hansen's Juices, and later The Fresh Juice Company of California. The plant that was opened in Los Angeles in 1946 was used until operations were moved to a new plant in Azusa, California in 1993. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1988, and was acquired by the California CoPackers Corporation and renamed Hansen Beverage Company. In 1998, the company moved from Anaheim, California to Corona, California. On January 5, 2012, shareholders agreed to change the name of the company from Hansen's Natural to Monster Beverage Corporation, under the new ticker MNST. Shareholders also approved an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock to 240,000,000 shares from 120,000,000 shares.

 

Products

Natural soda

Natural Cane Soda comes in twelve flavors: Original Cola, Ginger Ale, Key Lime Twist, Cherry Vanilla Creme, Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Vanilla Cola, Mandarin Lime, Creamy Root Beer, Raspberry, Mango Orange, and Pomegranate.All Hansen's sodas are made with cane sugar.

 

Energy drinks

 

 

Monster Energy Logo

Energy drinks include Hansen's Natural Energy Pro and Hansen's Energy Diet Red. The Monster Energy brand includes beverages such as Java Monster, Monster Rehab, and X-Presso Monster.

 

Diet soda

Their Diet Soda is available in ten flavors: Cola, Black Cherry, Peach, Kiwi Strawberry, Vanilla Cherry Créme,Tangerine Lime, Ginger Ale, Root Beer, Grapefruit, and Pomegranate. Hansen's diet soda is sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose. All diet sodas are OU Kosher certified.

 

Drink mixers

Monster Beverage sells three flavors of soda mixer: Tonic, Ginger Ale, and Club Soda.

 

Fruit juices

The company sells thirteen fruit juices in 64-ounce PET bottles, several of which are available in smaller bottles for kids. These include Apple, Grape, White Grape, Pineapple, Apple Grape, Apple Strawberry, Orange, Cranberry Apple, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Organic Apple White Grape, Organic Apple Wild Berry and Organic Apple. These juices contain 120% of the United States Recommended Daily Allowances (USRDA) for Vitamin C (except Pomegranate, which contains 100%).

 

In 2009, Monster Beverage introduced Hansen's Natural Lo-Cal 64-ounce juice cocktails, in four flavors. They are sweetened with Truvia.

Hansen's fruit juice smoothies contain approximately 25% juice and provide 100% of the recommended daily adult intake of Vitamins A, C, and E. They are packaged in 11.5-ounce aluminum cans.

 

Juices for children

Hansen's Juice Blast line of children's juice drinks was launched in conjunction with Costco and sold in Costco stores. Hansen also has a Juice Slam line of children's juice drinks. Both lines are sold in 6.75-ounce boxes.

 

In May 2001, Hansen's acquired the Junior Juice beverage business.Hansen's Junior Juice is 100% juice, sold in 4.23-ounce cartons and targeted at toddlers and preschoolers. Certain flavors of Junior Juice have calcium added and all flavors contain 100% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C. The brand was introduced in 1991 by McCain Foods,and sold to the Pasco Beverage Group in 2000before being sold again, to Hansen's. Hansen's replaced the original four mascots, Uncle Froggy, Emily the Mouse, Ronald Rabbit, and Nick the Fox,with Clifford the Big Red Dog.

 

In July 2008, Hansen's introduced Hansen's Organic Junior Water, in 4.23-ounce packages aimed at children between two and six years old. The Hansen's Organic Junior Water line of flavored water contains 100% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C and thirty calories per serving. Also in 2008, organic Junior Water was introduced. Hansen's later introduced Coconut Water Twist, containing coconut water, and Garden Twist, a combination of fruits and vegetables, which is the only Junior Juice variant to be sold in bottles.

 

Other beverages

Smoothies, Rumba Energy Juice, Energade, and Energy Formula, are minor products. Hansen's owns Blue Sky Beverage Company, which manufactures several soft drinks. Hansen's produces the Monster, Lost, and Rumba energy drinks, which are distributed in the United States by Anheuser Busch.On November 10, 2008, distribution of the Monster Energy and Monster Java products was turned over to Coca-Cola Enterprises.

 

In August 2009, Hansen's introduced the SELF Beauty Elixir line, a low-calorie beverage containing vitamins, minerals, natural fruit & botanical extracts, antioxidants and 30% fruit juice. The beverage contains 35 calories and a low amount of sodium per 8-ounce aluminum can.

 

Retired Products

Signature Soda

Hansen's Signature Soda line included Black Cherry, Vanilla Cream, Orange Cream, Ginger Beer, and Sarsparilla flavors.

 

Natural and Diet Tea Sodas

Hansen's Natural and Diet Soda flavors included: Black Cherry, Tangerine, Tropical, Orange Mango, Peach Mango, Peach, Cherry, Cranberry, Clear Root Beer, Vanilla Coffee, Low Cal Wildberry, Low Cal Cola, and Low Cal Creamy Cola.

 

In 2006, Hansen's introduced a line of iced teas in 16-ounce PET bottles. Some varieties were sweetened with cane sugar and some were unsweetened. Flavors included Lemon Mint, Pomegranate, Ginger, and Tangerine. There were also three flavors of diet green tea soda: Lemon Mint, Ginger and Tangerine. Each bottle of tea contained 75 mg of Epigallocatechin gallate. Hansen's also made tea bags.

 

Notable Events

In April 2008, the FDA ruled products containing high-fructose corn syrup could not be labeled "natural". Shortly after, Hansen's Natural Corporation announced they had begun using cane sugar instead.

 

In September 2009, Hansen brand Monster Energy sent a cease and desist letter to Rock Art Brewery, demanding the microbrewery stop selling its new Vermonster beer, drop its pursuit of a federal trademark for the name, and pay Hansen's lawyer fees. This resulted in a boycott of all Hansen products by some Vermont retailers.