Keurig Dr Pepper facts for kids
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Formerly
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Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (1981–2014) Keurig Green Mountain (2014–2018) |
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=US49271VAP58 US49271VAP58] |
| Industry |
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| Predecessor | Dr Pepper Snapple Group |
| Founded | 1981 (as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters) Waitsfield, Vermont, U.S. |
| Founder | Robert Stiller |
| Headquarters | Burlington, Massachusetts, U.S. Frisco, Texas, U.S. |
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Key people
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Robert Gamgort (Executive Chairman and CEO) |
| Brands |
List
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| Revenue |  US$11.618 billion (2020) |
| Owners |
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Number of employees
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27,500 (2021) |
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. is a big American company that makes and sells many popular drinks and coffee machines. You might know them for their Keurig coffee makers and K-Cup pods. They also make famous drinks like Dr Pepper, Snapple, and 7 Up. The company was formed in July 2018. This happened when two large companies, Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, joined together. Today, Keurig Dr Pepper offers over 125 different hot and cold beverages.
The company's eastern division makes Keurig brewing systems. It also creates and sells coffee, hot cocoa, and teas for these machines. They also sell coffee beans and ground coffee in bags. The company's Dr Pepper Snapple division, based in Texas, sells sodas, juices, and other soft drinks.
Contents
The Story of Keurig Dr Pepper
How Green Mountain Coffee Began
The company started in 1981 as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. A man named Bob Stiller loved a cup of coffee he found near a Vermont ski resort. He decided to buy a part of the small company that made it. At first, they sold coffee beans and grounds to people and restaurants. Stiller focused on roasting high-quality arabica coffee beans.
By 1982, the company had about 30 employees. They moved their coffee production to Waterbury, Vermont. Stiller soon owned the whole company. To help it grow, he sold coffee to many different places, from fancy restaurants to gas stations. He even gave out free samples because he couldn't afford ads. In 1986, he started a mail-order business. He also got his first big customer: a supermarket chain called Kings Food Markets.
Green Mountain Coffee was also an early supporter of being eco-friendly. By 1983, employees were composting used coffee grounds. In 1986, they offered their first organic coffee. The company became one of the biggest sellers of both fair-trade and organic coffee in the world. Fair trade means farmers get a fair price for their products.
The K-Cup Revolution
In 1993, three engineers from a company called Keurig had a new idea. They wanted to create a single-cup coffee brewing system. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters invested in Keurig. By 1996, Green Mountain owned 35% of Keurig.
The next year, Green Mountain became the first coffee company to sell coffee in a K-Cup pod. These pods were made for the new Keurig Single-Cup Brewing System. In 1998, Keurig launched its first brewing system for offices. The K-Cup made it easy for people to brew one cup of premium coffee at a time. This helped Green Mountain compete with bigger coffee companies like Starbucks.
In 1998, Green Mountain closed its retail shops. They decided to focus on selling coffee through mail, online, and to businesses. They also expanded their sales to supermarkets and even airlines.
Joining Forces with Keurig
By 2006, Green Mountain owned 43% of Keurig, Inc. They had slowly bought more of the company since 1993. This allowed Green Mountain to fully buy the single-cup brewing system maker. This big step helped Green Mountain sell many different brands and reach more customers. It also helped them grow their income a lot. By 2014, most of their money came from selling K-Cups.
Green Mountain also bought other coffee companies:
- In 2009, they bought Tully's Coffee.
- In 2009, they bought Timothy's World Coffee in Canada.
- In 2009, they bought Diedrich Coffee.
- In 2010, they bought Van Houtte, a Canadian coffee services company. This led to the creation of GMCR Canada, which is now called Keurig Dr Pepper Canada.
In 2011, Green Mountain made deals with Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks. This meant you could buy Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks coffee in K-Cup pods. These coffee shops also started selling Keurig machines.
New Brewers and a New Name
In 2012, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters introduced the Keurig Vue brewer. This new system let users control the strength, size, and temperature of their drinks. The Vue pods were also made from recyclable plastic. They also launched the Rivo, an espresso and latte brewer.
In 2014, The Coca-Cola Company bought a part of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. This was to support a new cold drink system that Keurig was developing. This system would let people make Coca-Cola and other soft drinks at home. In 2015, they made a similar deal with Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
In March 2014, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters changed its name to Keurig Green Mountain. This new name showed that they were now focused on selling Keurig coffee makers.
Later in 2014, Keurig Green Mountain launched the Keurig 2.0 brewer. This machine could brew full pots of coffee, not just single cups. In 2015, they also launched K-Mug pods for larger travel mugs. They even partnered with General Electric to put a Keurig machine right into a refrigerator door!
In September 2015, Keurig launched Campbell's Soup in K-Cups. These kits came with noodles and a K-Cup pod of soup. They also launched Keurig Kold, a machine that made cold drinks like sodas and sparkling waters. However, Keurig stopped selling the Kold machine in 2016.
Becoming Keurig Dr Pepper
In December 2015, a group of investors led by JAB Holding Company bought Keurig Green Mountain. This made Keurig Green Mountain a private company for two years.
Then, in July 2018, Keurig Green Mountain bought the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. This was a very big deal! The two companies combined and were renamed Keurig Dr Pepper. This created the third largest beverage company in North America. The company's shares began trading publicly again on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2021, Keurig Dr Pepper opened a second main office in Frisco, Texas.
Doing Good: Sustainability and Responsibility
Caring for the Planet
From its start, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters cared about the environment. They were known for their focus on sustainability.
- In 1983, employees started composting used coffee grounds.
- In 1986, they offered their first organic coffee.
- In 1990, they launched "Rain Forest Nut coffee" and gave money to groups that protect rainforests.
- In 1997, they made the first biodegradable bag for coffee.
The company tries to reduce its greenhouse gases and waste. They also focus on using energy responsibly. Keurig Green Mountain has been recognized for its green practices. For example, they are on the EPA's list of top green power users in the U.S.
However, some people have criticized the company for the billions of K-Cups that are thrown away each year. These K-Cups are often not recyclable or biodegradable. Keurig Green Mountain has stated that they are working to make all K-Cup pods 100% recyclable by 2020.
Helping Communities
Green Mountain has always had a culture of helping others and being good to its employees. They have been recognized as one of the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" many times.
They were pioneers in the Fair Trade movement in 2000. This means they made sure farmers got a fair price for their coffee. Since 2010, Green Mountain has been the largest buyer of Fair Trade coffee in the world. They also have long-term relationships with coffee farmers. Employees even visit coffee farms in Latin America to learn about the farmers' lives.
The company works to help reduce poverty and hunger in coffee-growing areas. They support groups like Coffee Kids, which helps children and families. They also provide loans to coffee farmers who need money.
Inside the company, Green Mountain values its employees' ideas and teamwork. They offer training, help with education, and even profit-sharing. Employees are paid for up to 52 hours of volunteer work in their community each year.
Brands You Know
Keurig Dr Pepper sells many different brands of drinks and coffee. Through their own brands and partnerships, their K-Cup pods offer over 400 types of coffee, tea, and other drinks from 60 brands.
Here are some of the popular brands they own:
- 50/50
- 7 Up (U.S. only)
- A&W Root Beer (worldwide except Canada)
- Bai Brands
- Canada Dry
- Crush
- Dr Pepper (U.S. only)
- Green Mountain Coffee
- Hawaiian Punch (U.S. only)
- IBC Root Beer
- Keurig brewers and K-Cups
- Mott's
- Peñafiel
- RC Cola (U.S. only)
- Schweppes (North America)
- Snapple
- Squirt
- Sunkist
- Timothy's World Coffee
- Tully's Coffee
- Van Houtte
- Vernors
- Yoo-hoo
