kdp-20241231
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024
OR
☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 001-33829
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
53 South Avenue
Burlington, Massachusetts01803
(Address of principal executive offices)
(781) 418-7000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer", "accelerated filer", "smaller reporting company", and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Large Accelerated Filer☒ Accelerated Filer ☐ Non-Accelerated Filer ☐ Smaller Reporting Company☐Emerging Growth Company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934).Yes ☐ No ☒
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock KDP The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
As of June 30, 2024, the aggregate market value of the registrant's common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $35.5 billion (based on the closing sales price of the registrant's common stock on that date). As of February 21, 2025, there were 1,356,750,877 shares of the registrant's common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant's definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the registrant's Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III.
KEURIG DR PEPPER INC.
FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024
PART I
Item 1 Business 1
Item 1A Risk Factors 9
Item 1B Unresolved Staff Comments 22
Item 1C Cybersecurity 22
Item 2 Properties 23
Item 3 Legal Proceedings 23
Item 4 Mine Safety Disclosures 23
PART II
Item 6 [Reserved] 24
Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 42
Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 43
Item 9A Controls and Procedures 106
Item 9B Other Information 107
Item 9C Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 108
PART III
Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance 109
Item 11 Executive Compensation 109
Item 14 Principal Accountant Fees and Services 109
PART IV
Item 15 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 110
KEURIG DR PEPPER INC.
FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024
MASTER GLOSSARY
Term Definition
2019 Incentive Plan Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. Omnibus Incentive Plan of 2019
ABC The American Bottling Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KDP
ABI Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, a related party of KDP as of December 31, 2024
AOCI Accumulated other comprehensive income or loss
ASU Accounting Standards Update
Board The Board of Directors of KDP
bps basis points
Central States The Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CFO Chief Financial Officer
Chobani FHU US Holdings LLC, an equity method investment of KDP
CISO Chief Information Security Officer
Coca-Cola The Coca-Cola Company
CODM Chief Operating Decision Maker
CSD Carbonated soft drink
DIO Days inventory outstanding
DPO Days of payables outstanding
DPS Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.
DSO Days sales outstanding
EPS Earnings per share
Exchange Act Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
FASB Financial Accounting Standards Board
FX Foreign exchange
GHOST GHOST Lifestyle LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
IT Information technology
IRA Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
IRS Internal Revenue Service
JAB JAB Holding Company S.a.r.l., and affiliates
JPMorgan JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Kalil Kalil Bottling Company
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KEURIG DR PEPPER INC.
FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024
Term Definition
La Colombe La Colombe Holdings, Inc.
LRB Liquid refreshment beverages
Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Notes Collectively, KDP's senior unsecured notes
PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc.
Peet's Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc.
PET Polyethylene terephthalate, which is used to make KDP's plastic bottles
PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
PRMB Post-retirement medical benefit
PSU Performance stock unit
Revive Revive Brands, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KDP
rPET Post-consumer recycled PET
RSU Restricted stock unit
RTD Ready to drink
RVG Residual value guarantee
S&P Standard & Poor’s
SEC Securities and Exchange Commission
SG&A Selling, general and administrative
SOFR Secured Overnight Financing Rate
Tractor Tractor Beverages, Inc., an equity method investment of KDP
U.S. GAAP Accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S.
Veyron SPEs Special purpose entities with a single sponsor, Veyron Global
VIE Variable interest entity
Vita Coco The Vita Coco Company, Inc.
Walmart Walmart Inc.
WIP Work-in-process
References throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “KDP”, "we", “us”, and "our", refer to Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. and all wholly-owned subsidiaries included in our audited Consolidated Financial Statements.
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on management's current expectations, estimates, and projections about our business and operations. Our actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated and expressed in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the factors described under "Risk Factors" within Item 1A and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and subsequent filings with the SEC.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
OUR COMPANY
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. is a leading beverage company in North America that manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells hot and cold beverages and single serve brewing systems. KDP has a broad portfolio of iconic beverage brands, including Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Mott's, A&W, Peñafiel, Snapple, 7UP, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, GHOST, Clamato, Core Hydration, and The Original Donut Shop, as well as the Keurig brewing system. We have some of the most recognized beverage brands in North America, with significant consumer awareness levels and long histories that evoke strong emotional connections with consumers. We have a portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed, and partner brands, as well as powerful distribution capabilities.
KDP was created on July 9, 2018, through the combination of the business operations of Keurig, a leading producer of innovative single serve brewing systems and specialty coffee in the U.S. and Canada, and DPS, a company built over time through a series of strategic acquisitions that brought together iconic beverage brands in North America. Today, we trade on Nasdaq under the symbol KDP.
OUR STRENGTHS AND STRATEGY
Our strategic framework starts with our purpose to Drink Well. Do Good. We aim to enhance the experience of every beverage occasion and to make a positive impact for people, communities, and the planet. Our vision is to be a total beverage leader, offering a beverage for every need, anytime, anywhere. We support our purpose and vision with five key strategies:
Champion consumer-obsessed brand building.We own a diverse portfolio of well-known beverage brands. Many of our brands enjoy high levels of consumer awareness, preference, and loyalty rooted in their rich heritage. This portfolio provides our customers with a wide variety of products to meet consumers' needs and provides us with a platform for growth and profitability. We drive growth in our business through investments in innovation, renovation, and marketing to support our portfolio of owned brands and partnerships with other leading beverage brands. We lead with deep consumer insights that inform our brand positioning and surface opportunities to address unmet needs. We have a robust innovation program, which is designed to meet consumers' changing flavor and beverage preferences and to grow our share of beverage occasions.
Amplify our route-to-market advantage.We have strategically-located distribution capabilities, which enable us to better align our operations with our customers and our sales channels, to ensure our products are available to meet consumer demand, to reduce transportation costs, and to have greater control over the timing and coordination of new product launches. We actively manage transportation of our products using our fleet (owned and leased) of approximately 7,100 vehicles in the U.S. and 2,200 in Mexico, as well as third party logistics providers.
With our Keurig.com website, we have a leading direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform which provides us insights and expertise in the e-commerce channel. We have been able to translate those insights and experiences to our LRB business as the number of fulfillment options that are better suited economically for beverages has evolved, leading to growth in the e-commerce channel. We continually invest in digital tools and capabilities as part of our route-to-market strategy, and as one element of a holistic digital transformation across KDP.
Shape our now and next beverage portfolio. We have cultivated relationships with leading beverage brands to create long-term partnerships that enable us and our partners to benefit equitably in future value creation, and where appropriate, we bring these partner brands into our owned portfolio through acquisitions. We continually evaluate making investments in companies that fill in whitespace in our portfolio.
Generate fuel for growth. We focus on critical transformational investments that drive continuous productivity and network optimization. We also maintain an emphasis on lean overheads in order to drive increasing operating leverage and fund our investments in our growth opportunities.
Dynamically allocate capital.Our highly efficient business model, focused on an optimized capital structure, gives us optionality to invest internally and pursue investments, partnerships, acquisitions, or other opportunities to continue to drive growth and create value.
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OUR PRODUCTS AND OPERATING STRUCTURE
We are a leading integrated brand owner, manufacturer, and distributor of beverages in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Operating and Reportable Segments
As of December 31, 2024, our operating structure consists of three operating and reportable segments: U.S. Refreshment Beverages, U.S. Coffee, and International. Segment financial data, including financial information about foreign and domestic operations, is included in Note 8 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
U.S. Refreshment Beverages
Our U.S. Refreshment Beverages segment is a brand owner, manufacturer, and distributor of LRBs in the U.S. In this segment, we manufacture and distribute beverage concentrates, syrups, and finished beverages of our brands to third-party bottlers, distributors, retailers, and, ultimately, the end consumer.
We manufacture beverage concentrates and syrups, which we then sell throughout the U.S. to third party bottlers or use them in our own manufacturing systems. Beverage concentrates, which are highly concentrated proprietary flavors, are combined with carbonation, water, sweeteners, and other ingredients, packaged in cans, bottles, or other packaging, and sold as a packaged beverage to retailers and, ultimately, the end consumer. Beverage concentrates are also manufactured into syrup, which is shipped to fountain customers, such as fast food restaurants, who mix the syrup with water and carbonation to create a finished beverage at the point of sale to consumers. Dr Pepper represents most of our fountain channel volume.
We manufacture and distribute finished beverages of our own beverage brands. Additionally, in order to maximize the size and scale of our manufacturing and distribution operations, we also distribute finished beverages for our partner brands and manufacture finished beverages for other third parties, including partners and private labels. We partner with other brands seeking effective route-to-market capabilities, including national selling and distribution scale. These brands can also give us exposure in certain markets to fast growing segments of the beverage industry in a capital-efficient manner. We sell finished beverages through our DSD and our WD systems, both of which include sales to all major retail channels.
Key brands in this segment include Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Mott’s, A&W, 7UP, Snapple, Sunkist soda, Squirt, C4 Energy, Hawaiian Punch, Electrolit, Core Hydration, Bai, Evian, Clamato, Yoo-Hoo, Vita Coco, and Big Red.
U.S. Coffee
Our U.S. Coffee segment is primarily a brand owner, manufacturer, and distributor of innovative single serve brewers, specialty coffee (including hot and iced varieties), and RTD coffee in the U.S. Our Keurig single serve brewers are aimed at changing the way consumers prepare and enjoy coffee and other beverages both at home and away from home in places such as offices, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, and convenience stores. We create value by developing and selling our Keurig single serve brewers and by expanding Keurig brewer household adoption, which enables sales of specialty coffee and a variety of other specialty beverages in K-Cup pods (including hot and iced teas, hot cocoa, and other beverages) for use with Keurig brewers. We also compete in the broader coffee category through traditional whole bean and ground coffee in other package types, including bags, fractional packages, and cans, as well as RTD coffee beverages. We, together with our partners, are able to bring consumers high-quality coffee and other beverage experiences from the brands they love, all through the one-touch simplicity and convenience of Keurig brewers.
We manufacture and sell 100% of the K-Cup pods of our owned and licensed brands, including Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, The Original Donut Shop, and McCafé, to retailers, away from home channel participants, and end-use consumers. We manufacture K-Cup pods for our partner brands, who in turn sell them to retailers and consumers. Our partner brands include Starbucks, Dunkin', Folgers, and Peet's, among others. We have agreements for manufacturing, distributing, and selling K-Cup pods for tea under brands such as Celestial Seasonings and Bigelow. We produce and sell K-Cup pods for cocoa, including through a licensing agreement for the Swiss Miss brand, and hot apple cider, including under our own brand, Mott's. Generally, we are able to sell these partner brands to our away from home channel participants and directly to consumers through our website at www.keurig.com. We also participate in private label manufacturing arrangements.
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Our U.S. Coffee segment manufactures K-Cup pods using freshly roasted and ground coffee as well as tea, cocoa, and other products. We offer high-quality, responsibly sourced coffee, including certified single-origin, organic, flavored, limited edition, and proprietary blends. We carefully select our coffee beans and roast them to optimize their taste and flavor differences. We engineer and design most of our single serve brewers and utilize third-party contract manufacturers located in various countries in Asia for brewer appliance manufacturing. We distribute our brewers using third-party distributors, retail partners and directly to consumers through our website at www.keurig.com.
International
Our International segment includes:
•Sales in Canada, Mexico, and other international markets from the manufacture and distribution of branded concentrates, syrup, and finished beverages, including sales of our own brands and third-party brands, to third-party bottlers, distributors, and retailers. Key beverage brands include Peñafiel, Clamato, Squirt, Canada Dry, Dr Pepper, Mott’s, and Crush.
•Sales in Canada from the manufacture and distribution of finished goods relating to our single serve brewers, K-Cup pods, and other coffee products to partners and retailers, as well as directly to consumer through our website at www.keurig.ca. Key K-Cup pod brands include McCafé, Tim Hortons, and Van Houtte, as well as other partner and private label brands.
Product Innovation and New Partnerships
We are focused on a robust innovation pipeline within our portfolio of products to build household penetration of our business. We regularly launch new brewers with new features and benefits, technological advances, sustainable attributes, and changes in aesthetics to provide a variety of options to suit individual consumer preferences. We also continuously innovate and renovate our portfolio of K-Cup pods and beverages to provide an expansive array of flavors.
Effective December 31, 2024, we acquired a controlling interest in GHOST. Founded in 2016, GHOST is a lifestyle sports nutrition business with a portfolio anchored by GHOST Energy, a leading ready-to-drink energy brand. We initially purchased a 60% stake in GHOST, and we also entered into an agreement which requires us to buy the remaining 40% of GHOST in 2028.
During 2024, we launched our Keurig K-Brew+Chill brewer that features Quick Chill Technology which delivers iced beverages at temperatures below 60 degrees straight from the brewer, as well as the ability to brew hot beverages. In addition, we announced our multi-year innovation agenda with the Keurig Alta brewer and K-Rounds plastic- and aluminum-free pods.
We debuted Canada Dry Fruit Splash, which partners classic ginger ale with cherry flavors and a splash of real fruit juice, as well as a limited edition offering of Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut. We launched Mott’s Active, a hydrating juice beverage for kids with naturally sourced electrolytes, no added sugar, and no artificial flavors, in Blastin’ Berry and Watermelon Burst.
We entered into new partnerships with The Brooklyn Roasting Company, Kahawa 1893, Killah Coffee, and Punk Bunny Coffee, among others, to provide their signature coffee blends in K-Cup pod format.
We expanded our partnership with Black Rifle Coffee Company to include a sales and distribution agreement for Black Rifle Energy. We also entered into an agreement with Nutrabolt to distribute Bloom RTD energy beverages. We began distributing under both of these agreements during the fourth quarter of 2024.
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CUSTOMERS
We primarily serve the following types of customers:
Retailers
Retailers include supermarkets, hypermarkets, mass merchandisers, club stores, e-commerce retailers, office superstores, vending machines, fountains, grocery and drug stores, convenience stores, and other small outlets. Retailers purchase finished beverages, K-Cup pods, appliances, and accessories directly from us. Our portfolio of strong brands, operational scale and experience in the beverage industry has enabled us to maintain strong relationships with major retailers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Our largest retailer, Walmart, represented approximately 16% of our consolidated net sales in 2024. Net sales to Walmart are included in all reportable segments.
Bottlers and Distributors
In the U.S. and Canada, we generally grant manufacturing and distribution licenses for our carbonated soft drinks to bottlers for specific geographic areas that are typically exclusive and long-term. These bottlers may be affiliated with Coca-Cola or with PepsiCo, or they may be independent. These agreements prohibit bottlers and distributors from selling the licensed products outside their exclusive territory and from selling any imitative products in that territory. Generally, we may terminate bottling and distribution agreements only for cause or change in control, and the bottler or distributor may terminate without cause upon giving certain specified notice and complying with other applicable conditions. These bottlers and distributor agreements may also contain provisions for fountain distribution rights, which are not exclusive for a territory, but generally do restrict bottlers from carrying imitative product in the territory.
Certain other brands, such as Snapple, Bai, and Core, are licensed for distribution in various territories to bottlers and a number of smaller distributors such as beer wholesalers, wine and spirit distributors, independent distributors, and retail brokers.
Partners
We have differentiated ourselves and the Keurig brand through our ability to create and sustain partnerships with other leading coffee, tea, and beverage brand companies through multi-year licensing and manufacturing agreements that best suit each brand's interests and strengths. Typically, we manufacture K-Cup pods on behalf of our partners, who in turn sell them to retailers.
Away from Home Channel Participants
We distribute brewers, accessories, and K-Cup pods (owned, licensed, and partner brands) to away from home channel participants, which include office coffee distributors and hotel chains.
End-use Consumers
We have robust e-commerce platforms at www.keurig.com and www.keurig.ca where end-use consumers can purchase brewers, accessories, K-Cup pods, and other coffee products, such as bagged traditional coffee and cold brew.
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COMPETITORS
The beverage industry is highly competitive and continues to evolve in response to changing consumer preferences. Competition is generally based on brand recognition, taste, quality, price, availability, selection, and convenience, among other factors. We compete with multinational corporations with significant financial resources. In our bottling and manufacturing operations, we also compete with a number of smaller bottlers and distributors and a variety of smaller, regional, and private label manufacturers.
Our primary competitors include Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Starbucks Corporation, The J.M. Smucker Company, The Kraft Heinz Company, and Nestlé S.A. Although these companies offer competing brands in categories we participate in, many are also our partners or customers, as they purchase beverage concentrates or K-Cup pods directly from us.
MATERIAL RESOURCES
Raw Materials
The principal raw materials we use in our business, which we commonly refer to as ingredients and materials, represent approximately 55% of our cost of sales and include green coffee, water, aluminum cans and ends, PET bottles and caps, including both virgin and rPET, CO2, sweeteners, paper products, K-Cup pod packaging materials, fruit, glass bottles and enclosures, cocoa, teas, juices, and other ingredients. We also use post-consumer recycled materials in the manufacturing of our single serve brewers.
The availability, quality, and costs of many of these materials have fluctuated, and may continue to fluctuate, over time. Additionally, under many of our supply arrangements for these raw materials, the price we pay fluctuates along with certain changes in indirect commodity costs, such as aluminum in the case of cans and ends, natural gas in the case of glass bottles, resin in the case of K-Cup pods, PET bottles and caps, corn in the case of sweeteners, and pulp in the case of paperboard packaging.
When appropriate, we mitigate the exposure to volatility in the prices of certain commodities used in our production process and transportation to our customers through the use of various commodity derivative contracts or supplier pricing agreements. The intent of the contracts and agreements is to provide a certain level of predictability in our operating margins and our overall cost structure, while remaining in what we believe to be a competitive cost position.
Green Coffee
We develop and pursue direct relationships with farms, estates, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and exporters in order to purchase green coffee and to support our broader traceability and sustainable supply chain initiatives. We also purchase green coffee through outside brokers.
Energy and Transportation Costs
In addition to ingredients and packaging costs, we are significantly impacted by changes in fuel costs, which can also fluctuate substantially, due to the large truck fleet we operate in our distribution operations (reflected within SG&A expenses) and the energy costs consumed in the production process (reflected within cost of sales).
We are also significantly impacted by changes in other transportation costs, such as ocean freight and tariffs. Transportation costs associated with the transportation and import of certain raw materials and finished goods to our manufacturing and distribution facilities are reflected within cost of sales.
Intellectual Property
Trademarks and Patents
We possess a variety of intellectual property rights that are important to our business. We rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets to safeguard our proprietary rights, including our brands, our technologies, and ingredient and production formulas for our products.
We own numerous trademarks in our portfolio within the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other countries. Depending upon the jurisdiction, trademarks are valid as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained.
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In many countries outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the manufacturing and distribution rights to many of our CSD brands, including our Dr Pepper trademark and formula, are owned by third parties, including, in certain cases, competitors such as Coca-Cola.
We hold U.S. and international patents related to Keurig brewers and coffee pod technology. Of these, a majority are utility patents and the remainder are design patents. We view these patents as valuable assets but we do not view any single patent as critical to our success. We also have pending patent applications associated with our brewers and with coffee pod technology. We take steps that we believe are appropriate to protect such innovation.
Licensing Arrangements
We license various trade names from our partners in order to manufacture and distribute K-Cup pods. Although these licenses vary in length and other terms, they generally are long-term, cover the entire U.S. and/or Canada, and may include royalty payments, upfront payments, or some combination of the two, to the partner in order to use their trade names to manufacture and/or distribute the K-Cup pods.
We license various trademarks from third parties, which generally allow us to manufacture and distribute certain products or brands throughout the U.S. and/or Canada and Mexico. For example, we license trademarks for Sunkist soda and Rose's from third parties. Although these licenses vary in length and other terms, they generally are long-term, cover the entire U.S. and/or Canada and Mexico and generally include a royalty payment to the licensor.
For beverages in emerging and fast growing categories where we may not currently have a brand presence, we license various trademarks from third party partners, which generally allow us to sell and distribute certain products or brands throughout the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. These partners view us as a distributor with strong route-to-market resources to grow their brands. Although these licenses vary in length and other terms, they generally are long-term and require a payment from the partner if the licensing agreement is terminated. In some instances, we make investments in these companies, which may include a path to acquire the company. As of December 31, 2024, our portfolio of partner brands included, but was not limited to, C4 energy drinks, Electrolit instant hydration beverages, evian water, Vita Coco coconut water, Polar Beverages seltzer water, La Colombe shelf-stable RTD coffee, Black Rifle Coffee Company energy drinks, and Peet's RTD coffee.
SEASONALITY
The beverage market is subject to some seasonal variations. Our cold beverage sales are generally higher during the warmer months, while hot beverage sales are generally higher during the cooler months. Overall beverage sales can also be influenced by the timing of holidays and weather fluctuations. Sales of brewers and related accessories are generally higher during the second half of the year due to the holiday shopping season.
HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES
Our Employees
We have approximately 29,400 employees, primarily located in North America. In the U.S., we have approximately 22,400 employees, of which approximately 5,100 employees are covered by union collective bargaining agreements. In Mexico, we have approximately 5,300 employees, of which approximately 4,000 are covered by union collective bargaining agreements. In Canada, we have approximately 1,400 employees, with approximately 400 covered by union collective bargaining agreements. We also have approximately 300 employees in Europe and Asia.
Our collective bargaining agreements generally address working conditions, as well as wage rates and benefits, and expire over varying terms over the next several years. We generally believe that these agreements can be renegotiated on terms satisfactory to us as they expire and that we have good relationships with our employees and any representative organizations for our unionized employees.
Our compensation programs are designed to ensure that we attract and retain the right talent. We generally review and consider median market pay levels when assessing total compensation, but pay decisions are based on a more comprehensive set of considerations such as company performance, individual performance, experience, and internal equity. We continually monitor key talent metrics including employee engagement and employee turnover.
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Our employee benefits programs strive to deliver competitive benefits that are effective in attracting and retaining talent, and that create a culture of well-being and inclusiveness, designed to support each team member’s unique needs. Our total package of benefits is designed to support the physical, mental, and financial health of our employees, and we currently provide access to medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement benefits, and disability benefits, as well as assistance with major life activities such as adoption, childbirth, and eldercare, among other benefits.
Our Culture
Together with our employees, we created a set of core values that define how we work together and are the cornerstone of KDP's culture. We embrace a challenger mindset, which, together with our strategy and core values, are the unifying force for our team and guide our actions, each and every day. Our four core values are:
•Team First. Win together. Be the kind of person you want on your team.
•Deliver Big.Achieve our commitments. Then push beyond the expected.
•Think Bold. Challenge the usual. Dare to try something new.
•Be Fearless and Fair.Tell the truth with courage. Listen and act with respect.
Additionally, we have adopted a corporate code of conduct that applies to all of our employees, officers, and our Board, which lays the foundation for ethical behavior for our team. Our code of conduct is available on our website at http://www.keurigdrpepper.com.
Just as each of our brands brings its own personality to our product portfolio, each of our employees brings their own unique set of experiences, perspectives, and flavor to our business. We believe that to best innovate and deliver for our consumers and customers, our workforce should represent them.
Employee Health and Safety
KDP uses a wide variety of strategies and programs to support the health and safety of our employees. Our Environmental Health & Safety team considers all aspects of what our employees may encounter and works to minimize risk. Key to these efforts are data and preventive actions. KDP measures Lost Time Incident Rate, a reliable indication of Total Recordable Injuries Rate severity, and uses a risk reduction process that thoroughly analyzes injuries and near misses.
OUR IMPACT
As a leading beverage company, we have the opportunity and responsibility to make a positive impact for people, communities, and planet. KDP Impact is our multi-year environmental, social, and governance agenda comprised of strategic initiatives that aim to make a positive impact with every drink. Rooted in action, realized through partnerships, and measured in results, we focus our commitments in the seven key impact areas where we can create meaningful change. These seven key impact areas are as follows:
•Climate and nature action
•Water use and stewardship
•Packaging and circular economy
•Human rights, responsible sourcing, and supply chain livelihoods
•Consumer health and well-being
•Employee health, safety, and well-being; and
•Corporate governance and ethics.
We are committed to transparency and disclosure of our strategies, programs, progress, and governance. Ourreport on our impact, which is issued annually, is available on our website at www.keurigdrpepper.com.
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GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS ON OUR BUSINESS
In the normal course of our business, we are subject to a variety of federal, state, and local laws and regulations in the countries in which we do business. Regulations in the U.S., as well as jurisdictions including Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, apply to many aspects of our business, including our products and their ingredients, manufacturing, safety, labeling, transportation, packaging, advertising, and sale. For example, our products and their manufacturing, labeling, marketing, and sale in the U.S. are subject to various aspects of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Robinson-Patman Act, the Clayton Act, the Sherman Act, the Lanham Act, state consumer protection laws, and state warning and labeling laws, such as the state of California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.
Various countries, states, provinces, and other authorities have enacted eco-taxes, extended producer responsibility laws, deposit or reuse/refill mandates, fees on certain products or packaging, restrictions or bans on the use of certain types of packaging, including single-use plastics, and regulations on PFAS, and other chemicals of concern. Regulators have also expressed concerns about the processing and use of particular ingredients or additives in beverage products. Various jurisdictions have adopted, and others may seek to adopt, bans or restrictions on the use of certain ingredients or substances in products or packaging, as well as significant additional product labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products because of what they contain or allegations that they cause adverse health effects. Certain cities and municipalities within the U.S. have passed various taxes on the distribution of sugar-sweetened and diet beverages, which are at different stages of enactment. We expect that legislation or regulations like those described above will continue to be proposed in the future at local, state and federal levels, both in the U.S. and elsewhere.
OTHER INFORMATION
We are required to file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act, are also available free of charge on our website at http://www.keurigdrpepper.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Information on any of our websites is not incorporated by reference in this document or any of our other filings with the SEC.
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA
The market and industry data in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is from Circana, an independent industry source, and is based on retail dollar sales and sales volumes in 2024. Although we believe that this independent source is reliable, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of this data or any assumptions underlying such data. Circana is a market information provider, primarily serving consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers. We use Circana data as our primary management tool to track market performance because it has broad and deep data coverage, is based on consumer transactions at retailers, and is reported to us weekly. Circana data provides measurement and analysis of marketplace trends such as market share, retail pricing, promotional activity, and distribution across various channels, retailers, and geographies. Measured categories provided to us by Circana include K-Cup pods, carbonated soft drinks, RTD teas and coffee, single serve and multi-serve juice and juice drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, still waters, carbonated waters, and non-alcoholic mixers. Circana also provides data on other food items such as apple sauce. Circana data we present in this report is compiled from scanner transactions in key retail channels, including grocery stores, mass merchandisers (including Walmart), club stores (excluding Costco), drug chains, convenience stores, and gas stations. However, this data does not include the fountain or vending channels, or small independent retail outlets, which together represent a meaningful portion of the U.S. beverage market. This data does not include certain customers and e-commerce sales which represents a significant portion of our U.S. Coffee segment. Our market share data for our brewers is also based on information provided by Circana. The data presented for our brewers is based upon Circana’s Consumer Tracking Service for Coffeemakers in the U.S. and represents the twelve month period ended December 31, 2024.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
RISKS RELATED TO OUR OPERATIONS
Disruption of our manufacturing and distribution operations or supply chain, including increased commodity, raw material, packaging, energy, transportation, and other input costs may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
We have experienced, and could continue to experience, disruptions in our supply chain and our manufacturing and distribution operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Some raw materials and supplies used in the production of our products, including packaging materials, are available from a limited number of suppliers or from a sole supplier or are in short supply when seasonal demand is at its peak. Certain raw materials and supplies used directly or indirectly in the production of our products are sourced from countries experiencing civil unrest, political instability, or unfavorable economic conditions. Adverse weather conditions may affect the supply of agricultural commodities from which key ingredients for our products are derived. We may not be able to maintain favorable arrangements and relationships with suppliers, and our contingency plans may not be effective to mitigate disruptions that may arise from shortages or discontinuation of any raw materials and other supplies that we use in the manufacture and distribution of our products. In order to ensure a continuous supply of high-quality raw materials, some of our inventory purchase obligations include long-term purchase commitments for certain strategic raw materials; the timing of these may not always coincide with the period in which we need the supplies to fulfill customer demand. Any sustained or significant disruption to the manufacturing or sourcing of raw materials could increase our costs and interrupt product supply, which could adversely impact our business.
The raw materials and other supplies, including agricultural commodities (such as coffee, apples, and corn), fuel and packaging materials, transportation, and other supply chain inputs that we use for the manufacturing, production, and distribution of our products are subject to price volatility and fluctuations in availability caused by many factors, which include changes in supply and demand; supplier capacity constraints; inflation; weather conditions (including the effects of climate change); wildfires and other natural disasters; disease or pests; agricultural uncertainty; cost increases in farm inputs; health epidemics, pandemics, or other contagious outbreaks; labor shortages, strikes, or work stoppages; changes in or the enactment of new laws and regulations; governmental actions or controls (including import/export restrictions, such as new, increased, or retaliatory tariffs, sanctions, quotas, or trade barriers); port congestion or delays; transport capacity constraints; cybersecurity incidents or other disruptions; political uncertainties; acts of terrorism; governmental instability; speculation in global trading of commodities, such as coffee; or fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We have been affected by a number of these factors, led by inflationary pressures on input and other costs, which may continue.
Many of our raw materials and supplies are purchased in the open market, and the prices we pay for such items are subject to fluctuation. Under many of our supply arrangements, the price we pay for raw materials fluctuates along with certain changes in underlying commodities costs. This could lead to higher and more variable inventory levels or higher raw material costs for us. In our coffee business, the quality of the coffee we seek tends to trade on a negotiated basis at a premium above the “C” price of coffee. This premium depends upon the supply and demand at the time of purchase, and the amount of the premium can vary significantly. Volatility in coffee prices can impact our ability to enter into fixed-price purchase commitments, and we frequently enter into “price-to-be-fixed” supply contracts in which the quality, quantity, delivery period, and other negotiated terms are agreed upon, but the date, and therefore price, at which the base coffee commodity price component will be fixed has not yet been established.
When input prices increase unexpectedly or significantly, we may be unwilling or unable to increase our product prices or unable to effectively hedge against price increases to offset these increased costs without suffering reduced volume, revenue, margins, and operating results. To the extent that price increases are not sufficient to offset higher costs adequately or in a timely manner, or if they result in significant decreases in sales volume, our financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected. In addition, price decreases in commodities that we have effectively hedged could also increase our cost of goods sold for mark-to-market changes in the derivative instruments.
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We operate in intensely competitive categories, and our potential inability to compete effectively could adversely impact our business.
The beverage industry is highly competitive and continues to evolve in response to changing consumer preferences. We compete with multinational corporations that can rapidly respond to competitive pressures and changes in consumer preferences by introducing new products, changing their route to market, reducing prices, or increasing promotional activities. We also compete with various smaller or regional companies and private label manufacturers, which may be more innovative, better able to bring new products to market, and better able to quickly serve niche markets. Additionally, we compete for contract manufacturing with other bottlers and manufacturers.
A significant portion of our business is attributable to sales of K-Cup pods for use with Keurig brewing systems. Continued acceptance of Keurig brewers to further increase household penetration is a significant factor in our growth plans. Any substantial or sustained decline in the sale of Keurig brewers could materially and adversely affect our business. Keurig brewers compete against all sellers and types of coffeemakers, as well as cafes and coffee shops. Our competitive position may be weakened if we do not succeed in differentiating Keurig brewers from our competitors’ products.
Our sales of beverages, Keurig brewers, K-Cup pods, and other products may be negatively affected by numerous factors including our inability to maintain or increase prices, our inability to effectively promote our products, new entrants into the market, the decision of wholesalers, retailers, or consumers to purchase competitors' products instead of ours, increased marketing costs, and higher in-store placement and slotting fees driven by our competitors' willingness to spend aggressively. In addition, the rapid growth of e-commerce may create additional consumer price deflation by, among other things, facilitating comparison shopping, and could potentially threaten the value of some of our legacy route-to-market strategies and thus negatively affect revenues. If we are unable to effectively compete, our business and our financial results would be negatively affected.
We may not effectively respond to changing consumer preferences and shopping behavior, which could impact our financial results.
Consumers’ preferences continually evolve due to a variety of factors, including changing demographics of the population, social trends, changes in consumer lifestyles and consumption patterns, including from the use of weight loss drugs, concerns or perceptions regarding the health effects or environmental impact of our products or packaging, concerns regarding the location of origin or source of ingredients and products, changes in consumers' spending habits, negative publicity, economic downturn, or other factors. If we do not effectively anticipate and respond to changing trends and consumer beverage preferences, including through innovation and renovation, our sales and growth could suffer.
Addressing changes in consumer preferences may require successful development, introduction, and marketing of new products and line extensions. There are inherent risks associated with new product or packaging innovation, including uncertainties about trade and consumer acceptance or potential impacts on our existing product offerings. Successful innovation may depend on our ability to obtain, protect, and maintain necessary intellectual property rights and to avoid infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others. Failure to innovate successfully could compromise our competitive position and impact our product sales, financial condition, and operating results.
Consumers are increasingly focused on sustainability, with particular attention to the recyclability or reuse of product packaging, reducing consumption of single-use plastics and non-recyclable materials and the environmental impact of manufacturing operations. If we do not meet consumer demands by continuing to provide sustainable packaging options and focusing on sustainability throughout our manufacturing operations, our sales could suffer.
Consumer shopping behavior is also rapidly evolving. Changes in mobility, travel, and leisure activity patterns, the acceleration of e-commerce and other methods of purchasing products, inflation and economic uncertainty, and pandemics, epidemics or other disease outbreaks, among others, have impacted and could continue to impact consumer shopping behavior and demand for our products. If we are unable to meet the consumer where and when they desire their products or if we are unable to respond to changes in distribution channels, our financial results could be adversely impacted.
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Concerns about the safety, quality, or health effects of our products could negatively affect our business.
The success of our business depends in part on our ability to maintain consumer confidence in the safety and quality of all of our products, including beverage products, their ingredients, their packaging, and our brewers. A failure or perceived failure to meet our quality, health, or safety standards, particularly as we expand our product offerings through innovation, partnerships or acquisitions into new beverage categories, including product contamination or tampering, undeclared allergens or allegations of mislabeling, whether actual or perceived, could occur in our operations or those of our bottlers, manufacturers, distributors or suppliers. This could result in time-consuming and expensive production interruptions, recalls, market withdrawals, product liability claims, and negative publicity. It could also result in the destruction of product inventory, lost sales due to the unavailability of product for a period of time, fines from applicable regulatory agencies, and higher-than-anticipated rates of warranty returns and other returns of goods. Moreover, negative publicity may result from false, unfounded, or nominal liability claims or limited recalls.
In addition, adverse public opinion, third-party studies, or other allegations, whether or not valid, regarding the perceived or potential negative health effects of processing or ingredients in our beverage products, such as concerns about the caloric intake associated with soft drinks or the use of synthetic colors, nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners or other additives in our beverages, or chemicals of concern or other substances in our ingredients or materials, may contribute to actual or threatened legal action against us, negative consumer perception of our products, new or increased taxes on our products, or additional government regulation, including new or changing restrictions on the inclusion of our products in benefit programs, such as the U.S. supplemental nutrition assistance program known as SNAP, any of which could result in decreased demand for our products or reformulations of existing products to remove such ingredients or substances, which may be costly and reduce their appeal. Such risks may be increased if government officials make public statements about alleged risks purportedly associated with processing, particular ingredients used in our products, or unintentional contaminants that may be present in the water supply.
Any or all of these events may lead to a loss of consumer confidence and trust, could damage the reputation of our brands and may cause consumers to choose other products and could negatively affect our business and financial performance.
Damage to our reputation or brand image can adversely affect our business.
Our ability to maintain our reputation and the brand image of our products is important to our success. Our corporate image and reputation has in the past been, and could in the future be, adversely impacted by a variety of factors, including: any failure by us or our business partners to achieve goals or maintain high standards relating to ethical and business practices, including with respect to human rights, child labor laws, workplace conditions, employee health and safety, the nutrition profile of our products, packaging, water use and impact on the environment; any failure to address health or other concerns about our products, products we distribute or particular ingredients in our products, including concerns regarding whether certain of our products contribute to obesity or an increase in public health costs; our research and development efforts; any product quality or safety issues, including the recall of any of our products; any failure to comply with laws and regulations; consumer perception of our advertising campaigns, sponsorship arrangements, marketing programs, use of social media and our response to political and social issues or catastrophic events; or any failure to effectively respond to negative or inaccurate comments about us on social media or otherwise regarding any of the foregoing. Damage to our reputation or brand image could decrease demand for our products, thereby adversely affecting our business.
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If we do not successfully manage our acquisitions of and investments in new businesses or brands, our operating results may adversely be affected.
From time to time, we acquire or invest in businesses or brands, form joint ventures, and enter into licensing and distribution agreements. If we are unable to complete such transactions or successfully integrate and develop acquired businesses, including the effective management of integration activities, we could fail to achieve the expected increases in revenues and operating results or the anticipated synergies and cost savings. Additional acquisition risks include the diversion of management attention from our existing business, potential loss of key employees, suppliers, or customers from the acquired business, assumption of unforeseen risks and liabilities, and greater than anticipated operating costs of the acquired business. Any of these factors could adversely affect our financial results. Our quality management protocols, which are designed to ensure product quality and safety, may not be sufficiently robust to fully manage the expanded range of product offerings introduced through new investments, licensing or distribution agreements, which may increase our costs or subject us to negative publicity. In addition, we may also experience delays in extending our respective internal control over financial reporting to new acquisitions or investments, which may increase the risk of misstatements in our financial records and in our consolidated financial statements.
In evaluating strategic transactions, we are required to make difficult judgments regarding the value of business strategies, opportunities, technologies and other assets, and the risks and cost of potential liabilities. In the past we have been, and in the future we may be, unable to realize the expected benefits of acquisitions, investments or licensing or distribution agreements; it may also take longer than expected to realize the expected benefits. Our ability to manage and improve the performance of acquired businesses or brands and our other investments and ventures will impact our financial performance. We may not achieve the strategic and financial objectives for such transactions. If we are unable to achieve such objectives, our consolidated results could be negatively affected.
Failure to realize benefits or successfully manage the potential negative consequences of our productivity initiatives can adversely affect our financial performance.
We pursue strategic initiatives that are transformative in nature and are expected to generate significant cost savings, or productivity, over time. These strategic initiatives have included investments in new technologies and optimization of certain processes and of our manufacturing footprint. Some of our productivity initiatives may result in unintended consequences, such as business disruptions, distraction of management and employees, reduced morale and productivity, inability to obtain expected savings to reinvest into the business, an inability to attract or retain employees, negative publicity and disruption of the internal control structures of the affected business operations. If we are unable to successfully implement our productivity initiatives as planned or do not achieve expected savings as a result of these initiatives, we may not realize all or any of the anticipated benefits, resulting in adverse effects on our financial performance.
Our facilities and operations may require substantial investment and upgrading, including investments in new technologies and digital transformation, and such investments may not achieve the intended financial benefits.
We continue to incur significant costs to maintain or upgrade various technologies, facilities, and equipment or restructure our operations, including closing existing facilities or opening new ones. We invest in new and emerging technologies, including the use of automation, connected data, robotics, and artificial intelligence throughout our operations, including in our manufacturing and distribution facilities and our sales organization.
If the cost of our investments is higher than anticipated, the investments and upgrades are not sufficient to meet our near-term future business needs, our business does not develop as anticipated to appropriately utilize new or upgraded facilities, or third parties fail to complete the construction or renovation of facilities or production equipment in a timely manner or in accordance with our specifications, we may be delayed in realizing the intended benefits or our costs and financial performance could be negatively affected.
We have ongoing programs to invest and upgrade our manufacturing, distribution and other facilities, including expansive investments in our manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina. These investments require us to rely on third parties for the construction and renovation of our facilities and manufacturing of our production equipment. We have experienced delays related to the production equipment contained within our manufacturing facilities, including delays in receiving the equipment or in operating the equipment according to specifications outlined by the manufacturer, which have led to increased costs, and we may continue to experience such delays and cost increases.
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We depend on key information systems, and our use of information technology exposes us to business disruptions that could adversely affect us.
Our information systems contain proprietary and other confidential information related to our business. These systems and services are vulnerable to interruptions or other failures resulting from, among other things, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, software, equipment or telecommunications failures, processing errors, computer viruses, other security issues or supplier defaults. Security, backup and disaster recovery measures may not be adequate or implemented properly to avoid such disruptions or failures. Any disruption or failure of these systems or services could cause substantial errors, processing inefficiencies, security breaches, inability to use the systems or process transactions, loss of customers or other business disruptions, all of which could negatively affect our business and financial performance. Our users’ data and customer information may be improperly accessed, used or disclosed if we fail to adopt or adhere to adequate information security practices, or fail to comply with their respective online policies, or in the event of a breach of our networks, which could subject us to legal action, reputational harm, or otherwise negatively impact our business and financial performance.
Substantial disruption at our manufacturing and distribution facilities could occur.
A disruption at our manufacturing and distribution facilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, as could a disruption at the facilities of our bottlers, contract manufacturers or distributors. Disruptions could occur for many reasons, including fire, natural disasters, weather, water scarcity, manufacturing problems, disease, widespread illness, strikes, labor shortages, transportation or supply interruption, contractual dispute, government regulation, cybersecurity attacks or terrorism. Moreover, if demand increases beyond our production capabilities, we would need to expand our capabilities internally or acquire additional capacity. Alternative facilities with sufficient capacity or capabilities may not be available, may cost substantially more than existing facilities or may take a significant time to start production, each of which could negatively affect our business and financial performance.
Our intellectual property rights could be infringed or we could infringe the intellectual property rights of others, and adverse events regarding licensed intellectual property could harm our business.
We possess intellectual property that is important to our business. This intellectual property includes ingredient formulas, trademarks, copyrights, patents, business processes and other trade secrets. We cannot be certain that the legal steps taken to protect our rights will be sufficient or that others will not infringe or misappropriate our rights. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, or if changes in laws diminish or remove the current legal protections available to them, the competitiveness of our products may be eroded and our business could suffer. We and third parties, including competitors, could come into conflict over intellectual property rights, resulting in disruptive and expensive litigation. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, our brands, products and business could be harmed.
We also license various intellectual property rights from third parties and license certain intellectual property rights to third parties. In some countries, third parties own certain intellectual property that we own in other countries. For example, the Dr Pepper trademark and formula is owned by Coca-Cola in some countries outside North America. Adverse events affecting those third parties or their products could also negatively impact our brands.
Failure to attract, retain, develop and motivate a highly skilled and diverse workforce, or failure to effectively manage changes in our workforce such as labor shortages, employee turnover and increases in wages, could significantly impact our operations.
The labor market has experienced and may continue to experience labor shortages, inflation in labor costs and increased employee turnover, which has impacted and may continue to impact our ability to attract and retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce. Competition in the labor market for qualified employees has increased alongside current and prospective employees’ changing expectations for compensation, benefits, and flexible work models. Unplanned turnover or failure to develop and implement succession plans for senior management and other key personnel could deplete our institutional knowledge base and erode our competitiveness. Failure to attract, retain, develop, and motivate a highly skilled and diverse workforce, including employees with specialized capabilities, can damage our business results and our reputation.
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We may not be able to renew collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms, or we could experience union activity, including new unionization, labor disputes or work stoppages.
Many of our employees that are involved in the manufacturing or distribution of our products are covered by collective bargaining agreements. Additional employees have sought and may continue to seek to be covered by collective bargaining agreements, which may be facilitated by changing labor laws and regulations. These agreements typically expire every three to four years at various dates. We may not be able to renew our existing collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms or at all. This could result in labor disputes, strikes, or work stoppages, which could impair our ability to manufacture and distribute our products and result in a substantial loss of sales. The terms of existing, renewed or expanded agreements could also significantly increase our costs or negatively affect our ability to increase operational efficiency.
Increases in our cost of employee benefits in the future could reduce our profitability.
Our profitability is substantially affected by costs for employee health care, pension and other retirement programs and other benefits. In recent years, these costs have increased significantly due to factors such as increases in health care costs, declines in investment returns on pension assets, and changes in discount rates used to calculate pension and related liabilities. These factors will continue to put pressure on our business and financial performance. There can be no assurance that we will succeed in limiting future cost increases, and continued upward cost pressure could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
We negotiate with our suppliers to optimize our terms and conditions, including payment terms, and reductions in our payment terms with our suppliers could adversely affect our liquidity.
We negotiate with our suppliers to optimize our terms and conditions, which includes the consideration of payment terms. Excluding our suppliers who require cash at date of purchase or sale, our current payment terms with our suppliers generally range from 10 to 360 days. The length of our payment terms has been reduced in recent periods and will continue to be reduced, including as a result of a supplier being replaced, renegotiation of a supplier’s contract during the procurement process, through efforts to increase the overall pool of potential suppliers for selection, or in order to receive favorable pricing or other terms during commercial negotiations. Reductions in our payment terms have negatively affected, and could continue to negatively affect, our liquidity and our ability to maintain our cash conversion cycle to maximize our working capital. Reduced payment terms have contributed to, and could continue to contribute to, our need to utilize various financing arrangements for short-term liquidity.
We cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be fully consummated or that our share repurchase program will enhance long-term stockholder value.
In October 2021, our Board authorized KDP to repurchase up to $4 billion of our outstanding common stock over a four-year period, beginning on January 1, 2022, potentially enabling us to return value to shareholders. Our repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of shares. Under the terms of our share repurchase program, shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, or by other means (including through the use of trading plans intended to qualify under Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act) in accordance with federal securities laws. We may fund our share repurchases through cash flow from operations, borrowings, a combination of the two, or other sources of liquidity. The actual manner, timing, amount, value and counterparties of any repurchases under the program will be determined at our discretion and will depend on a number of factors, including the market price of our common stock, trading volume, other capital management objectives and opportunities, applicable legal requirements, applicable tax effects, and general market and economic conditions.
We cannot guarantee that we will repurchase shares (or the terms or amount of any such repurchase) or conduct future share repurchase programs, and we cannot guarantee that any such programs will result in long-term increases to shareholder value. The existence of our stock repurchase program could also cause the price of our common stock to be higher than it would be in the absence of such a program and could potentially reduce the market liquidity for our common stock. Additionally, significant changes in laws or regulations may reduce our ability or inclination to take advantage of our share repurchase program.
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Determinations in the future that a significant impairment of the value of our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets has occurred could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements.
As of December 31, 2024, we had $53,430 million of total assets, of which $20,053 million were goodwill and $23,634 million were other intangible assets. Intangible assets include both definite and indefinite-lived intangible assets in connection with brands, trade names, acquired technology, customer relationships, and contractual arrangements. We conduct impairment tests on goodwill and all indefinite-lived intangible assets annually, as of October 1, or more frequently if circumstances indicate that all or a portion of the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. In addition, definite-lived intangible assets, property, plant, and equipment, and equity method investments are evaluated for impairment or accelerated depreciation as circumstances indicate.
The impairment tests require us to make an estimate of the fair value of our reporting units and other intangible assets. We have in the past recorded impairments, including during the year ended December 31, 2024, and could do so again as a result of changes in assumptions, estimates or circumstances, some of which are beyond our control. Factors which could result in an impairment include changes in our financial and operating outlook and changes in our discount rates, which could change due to factors such as movement in risk free interest rates, changes in general market interest rates and market beta volatility, and changes to management's view of forecasted risk, among others. Since a number of factors may influence determinations of fair value of intangible assets, we are unable to predict whether impairments of goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangibles will occur in the future. Any such impairment would result in us recognizing a non-cash charge in our Consolidated Statements of Income, which could adversely affect our results of operations and our effective tax rate.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THIRD PARTIES
We depend on third-party bottling and distribution companies for a significant portion of our business.
We license rights to third parties to bottle and distribute our products. A portion of our income from operations is generated from sales of beverage concentrates to third-party bottling companies that we do not own. Some of these bottlers are also our direct competitors, or also bottle and distribute products for our competitors. In addition, some of the finished products we manufacture are distributed by third parties. As independent companies, these bottlers and distributors may have the right to determine whether, and to what extent, they produce and distribute our products, our competitors’ products and their own products. They may devote more resources to other products, prioritize their own products, or take other actions detrimental to our brands.
In most cases, they are able to terminate their bottling and distribution arrangements with us without cause. In some cases, the license agreements include buy-out rights that allow us to exit for a fee, and we may have additional limited termination rights. The termination of any material license arrangement could adversely affect our business and financial performance, and any disputes could be costly and divert management attention. We may need to increase support for our brands in certain territories to maintain our route to market and may not be able to pass price increases through to third-party bottlers and distributors. Deteriorating economic conditions could negatively impact the financial viability of third-party bottlers.
Changes in the retail landscape or in sales to any key customer can adversely affect our business.
The retail industry is experiencing continued consolidation of ownership and purchasing power, resulting in large retailers or buying groups with increased purchasing power, which impacts our ability to compete. Retailers may seek lower prices from us, may demand increased marketing or promotional expenditures in support of their businesses, and may be more likely to use their distribution networks to introduce and develop private-label brands, any of which could negatively affect our profitability. In addition, our industry is being affected by rapid growth in discount retailers and in e-commerce retailers, including traditional retailers who are expanding their e-commerce capabilities, and our business will be adversely affected if we are unable to maintain and develop successful relationships with such retailers. Further, we must maintain mutually beneficial relationships with our key customers to compete effectively. Any inability to resolve a significant dispute with any of our key customers, a change in the business condition (financial or otherwise) of any of our key customers, even if unrelated to us, a significant reduction in sales to any key customer, or the loss of any of our key customers may adversely affect our business.
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Failure to maintain strategic relationships with brand owners and private label brands could adversely impact our future growth and business, potentially resulting in the termination of those agreements.
We regularly enter into strategic relationships for the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of K-Cup pods with partner customers, as well as with retailers for their private label brands. As independent companies, our strategic partners make their own business decisions which may not align with our interests. If we are unable to provide an appropriate mix of incentives to our strategic partners through a combination of premium performance and service, pricing, and marketing and advertising support, or if these strategic partners are not satisfied with our technological or other development efforts, they may take actions that adversely impact us, including entering into agreements with competing contract manufacturers or vertically integrating to manufacture their own Keurig-compatible pods. Increasing competition among Keurig-compatible pod manufacturers and moving to vertical integration may result in price compression, which could have an adverse effect on our gross margins. The loss of strategic partners could also adversely impact our future profitability and growth, awareness of Keurig brewers, our ability to attract additional brands or private label parties to do business with us or our ability to attract new consumers to buy Keurig brewers.
We also regularly enter into strategic relationships for the manufacture and/or distribution of beverage products from partner brand owners, including in emerging or fast-growing segments in which we may not currently have a brand presence. If our partner brands terminate their agreements with us, it could negatively affect our revenues and results of operations.
Equity method investments are managed independently of us and may have different interests than we do. Their decisions could impact our financial performance.
We regularly review our product portfolio and evaluate strategic transactions, such as equity method investments, generally to gain entry into categories where we do not participate or to expand our presence in areas where our participation is currently limited. The success of these transactions is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to realize the full extent of the expected returns and benefits as a result of the transaction, within the anticipated time frame, or at all. As these equity method investments are managed independently, we may be impacted by their business decisions or other actions, as they may have different interests than we do. We recognize a portion of our investees’ financial results within our net income based upon our ownership interest, unless the investment agreement indicates an alternative allocation of earnings or losses.
We also assess our equity method investments as and when required by GAAP to determine whether they are impaired and, if they are, we record appropriate impairment charges. Our equity method investees also perform similar recoverability and impairment tests, and we record our share of impairment charges recorded by them, if any, adjusted, as appropriate, for the impact of items such as basis differences, deferred taxes and deferred gains. It is possible that we may be required to record significant impairment charges or our proportionate share of significant impairment charges recorded by equity method investees in the future and, if we do so, our net income could be materially adversely affected.
The use of information technology by our third party commercial partners and service providers exposes us to business disruptions or other negative impacts that could adversely affect us.
We rely on third-party service providers, including cloud data service and other information technology service providers, suppliers, distributors, contractors and other business partners, for certain areas of our business, including certain finance, accounting, and IT functions, workforce management, and payroll processing. Some of our commercial partners may also receive or store information provided by us or our users through their websites, including information entrusted to them by customers. Our users’ data and customer information may be improperly accessed, used or disclosed if these third-party commercial partners fail to adopt or adhere to adequate information security practices, or fail to comply with their respective online policies, or in the event of a breach of our or their networks. If any of these third-party service providers or vendors do not perform effectively, or if we fail to adequately monitor their performance (including compliance with service level agreements or regulatory or legal requirements), we may experience business disruption, systems performance degradation, processing inefficiencies or other systems disruptions, the loss of or damage to intellectual property or sensitive data through security breaches or otherwise, incorrect or adverse effects on financial reporting, litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations, fines or penalties, remediation costs, damage to our reputation, a negative impact on employee morale or the loss of current or potential customers, all of which can adversely affect our business.
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These third parties are subject to similar risks as we are relating to cybersecurity, privacy violations, business interruption, and systems and employee failures, and are subject to legal, regulatory and market risks of their own. We do not have control over their business operations or governance and compliance systems, practices and procedures, which increases our financial, legal, reputational and operational risk. We have in the past, and may in the future, experience indirect impacts of events that take place at our third-party service providers and other business partners. If we are unable to effectively manage our third-party relationships, or for any reason our third-party service providers or business partners fail to satisfactorily fulfill their commitments and responsibilities, our financial results could suffer.
We rely on the performance of a limited number of suppliers and manufacturers for our brewers, and a limited number of order fulfillment companies for our brewers, beverage concentrates and syrups.
A small number of companies, located primarily in Asia, co-manufacture the vast majority of our brewers. Our manufacturers may not be able to scale their manufacturing operations to match increasing consumer demand for our brewers at competitive costs. If our manufacturers were to cease or interrupt production or otherwise fail to supply brewers to us as agreed, we would be unable to obtain brewers for an indeterminate period of time, which could adversely affect our product sales and operating results.
The majority of the distribution of our brewers, beverage concentrates and syrups is handled by third-party order fulfillment companies in the U.S. Our third-party manufacturers and order fulfillment companies are subject to disruption, including as a result of health epidemics, natural disasters, information technology failures, commercial or international trade disputes, governmental regulatory and enforcement actions, labor stoppages or strikes, financial issues, or otherwise. These issues could delay importation and increase the cost of products, delay the fulfillment of the brewers, beverage concentrates and syrups to our customers or require us to locate alternative manufacturers or order fulfillment companies to avoid disruption, which could adversely affect our product sales and operating results.
GENERAL RISK FACTORS
Our financial results may be negatively impacted by recession, financial and credit market disruptions and other political, social or economic conditions.
Changes in economic and financial conditions in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, or other geographies where we do business may negatively impact consumer confidence and consumer spending, which could result in a reduction in our sales volume and/or switching to lower price offerings. Similarly, disruptions in financial and credit markets worldwide may impact our ability to manage normal commercial relationships with customers, suppliers, and creditors. These disruptions could have a negative impact on the ability of our customers to pay their obligations on time, the ability of our vendors to supply materials in a timely manner, or the risk of counterparty default, each of which could reduce our cash flow.
We cannot predict how current or future economic conditions will affect our business partners, including financial institutions with whom we do business, and any negative impact on any of the foregoing may also have an adverse impact on our business. Disruptions in financial and credit markets could also have a negative effect on our ability to raise capital through the issuance of unsecured commercial paper or senior notes. In addition, declines in the securities and credit markets could affect our pension and PRMB assets and obligations, which in turn could increase our funding requirements.
Unstable geopolitical conditions or events in certain markets, including civil unrest, acts of war, terrorism, or governmental changes, or changes in international relations could undermine global consumer confidence and reduce consumers’ purchasing power, thereby reducing demand for our products. Restrictions on business activities, which have been or may be imposed or expanded as a result of political and economic instability, deterioration of economic relations between countries, such as changes in or terminations of existing trade agreements, or the imposition of tariffs (including recent U.S. tariffs imposed or threatened to be imposed on Canada, Mexico, China, and other countries, and any retaliatory actions taken by such countries), or otherwise, could impact our profitability or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.
We have no operations in Russia, Ukraine, or the Middle East, but due to the impact of the ongoing conflicts in those regions on the global economy, we have experienced and may continue to experience supply chain constraints; inflation in input costs, logistics, manufacturing, and labor costs; volatility in fuel and commodity prices and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and interest rates, any of which could adversely impact our results of operations.
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U.S. and international laws and regulations could adversely affect our business.
We are subject to a variety of federal, state, and local laws and regulations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other countries in which we conduct business. These laws and regulations apply to many aspects of our business, including the manufacture, safety, sourcing, labeling, storing, transportation, marketing, advertising, distribution, pricing, and sale of our products. Other laws and regulations that may impact our business relate to competition and antitrust, the environment, relations with distributors and retailers, employment, privacy, health, and trade practices. Our expanding international business will also expose us to economic factors, regulatory requirements, increasing competition, and other risks associated with doing business in foreign countries, including import or export restrictions and tariffs. Our international business is also subject to U.S. laws, regulations, and policies, including anti-corruption and export laws and regulations.
Any significant change in laws or regulations or their interpretation, in any of these jurisdictions, or the introduction of higher standards or more stringent laws or regulations, could result in increased compliance costs or capital expenditures or significant challenges to our ability to continue to produce and sell products that generate a significant portion of our sales and profits. Certain jurisdictions in which our products are sold have either imposed, or are considering imposing, new or increased taxes on the manufacture, distribution or sale of certain of our products, particularly our beverages, as a result of ingredients (including sweeteners or alcohol) or packaging and packaging materials, which could increase the cost of certain of our products, reduce overall consumption of our products or lead to negative publicity, resulting in an adverse effect on our business and financial performance. Increasing governmental and societal attention to environmental, social, and governance matters has resulted and could continue to result in new laws or regulatory requirements, including new or expanded disclosure requirements that are expected to continue to expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters on which we are required to report. In addition, the entry into new markets or categories has resulted in and could continue to result in our business being subject to additional regulations resulting in higher compliance costs. Violations of laws or regulations could damage our reputation and/or result in criminal, civil, or administrative actions with substantial financial penalties and operational limitations.
Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation.
We have been, and in the future may be, a party to various litigation, claims, legal (including regulatory) proceedings, inquiries, and investigations that may include employment, tort, contract, real estate, antitrust, environmental, recycling/sustainability, intellectual property, commercial, securities, false advertising, packaging, product labeling, consumer protection, discriminatory pricing, privacy, tax, insurance, and other claims. We have been, and in the future may be, a defendant in class action litigation, including litigation regarding employment practices, product labeling, including under California’s “Proposition 65,” public statements and disclosures under securities laws, antitrust, advertising, consumer protection, and wage and hour laws. Plaintiffs in class action litigation may seek to recover amounts that are large and may be indeterminable for some period of time. We evaluate litigation claims and legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses, and we establish a reserve as appropriate based upon assessments and estimates in accordance with our accounting policies. We base our assessments, estimates and disclosures on the information available to us at the time and rely on legal and management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from assessments and estimates. Costs to defend litigation claims and legal proceedings and the cost and any required actions arising out of actual settlements, judgments or resolutions of these claims and legal proceedings may negatively affect our business and financial performance. Any adverse publicity resulting from allegations made in litigation claims or legal proceedings may also adversely affect our reputation, which in turn could adversely affect our results of operations.
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Increased concerns related to the use or disposal of plastics or other packaging materials can adversely affect our business and financial performance.
We rely on diverse packaging solutions to safely deliver products to our customers and consumers. Concern has grown with respect to the use or disposal of plastics and their potential impact on health and the environment, which may contribute to actual or threatened legal action against us, negative consumer perception of our products, additional government regulation, or new or increased taxes on our products. Various jurisdictions in which our products are sold have imposed or are considering imposing laws, regulations, or policies intended to encourage the use of sustainable packaging, waste reduction, or increased recycling rates, or to restrict the sale of products utilizing certain packaging. These laws, regulations, and policies vary in form and scope between jurisdictions and include extended producer responsibility policies, plastic or packaging taxes, restrictions on certain products and materials, requirements for bottle caps to be tethered to bottles, restrictions or bans on the use of certain types of packaging, including single-use plastics and packaging containing PFAS, or other chemicals of concern, restrictions on labeling related to recyclability, and requirements to charge deposit fees. These laws and regulations have in the past and could continue to increase the cost of our products, impact demand for our products, result in negative publicity and require us and our business partners to increase capital expenditures to invest in reducing the amount of virgin plastic or other materials used in our packaging, to develop alternative packaging or product formats or to revise product labeling, all of which can adversely affect our business and financial performance. Changes in legislation could restrict the sale of our products that use such packaging materials, which could reduce our sales and profits.
Significant additional labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products may inhibit sales of affected products.
Various jurisdictions have adopted and may seek to adopt bans or restrictions on the use of certain ingredients or substances in products, as well as significant additional product labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products because of what they contain or allegations that they cause adverse health effects. For example, under one such law in California, known as Proposition 65, if the state has determined that a substance causes cancer or harms human reproduction or development, a warning must be provided for any product sold in the state that exposes consumers to that substance, unless the exposure falls under an established safe harbor level or another exemption is applicable. If we were required to add Proposition 65 warnings on the labels of one or more of our products produced for sale in California, the resulting consumer reaction to the warnings and potential adverse publicity could negatively affect our sales both in California and in other markets. Regulators have also expressed concerns about the processing and use of particular ingredients or additives in beverage products. The imposition or proposed imposition of bans or restrictions on the use of certain ingredients or substances in products, or of additional limitations on the marketing or sale of our products, has in the past and could continue to reduce overall consumption of our products, lead to negative publicity or leave consumers with the perception that our products do not meet their health and wellness needs, resulting in an adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Our use of information technology and third-party service providers exposes us to cybersecurity breaches and other business disruptions that could adversely affect us.
We, and our third-party service providers, use information technology to support our global business processes and activities, including supporting critical business operations; communicating with our suppliers, customers, and employees; maintaining financial information and effective accounting processes and financial and disclosure controls; engaging in mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions; conducting research and development activities; meeting regulatory, legal and tax requirements; and executing various digital marketing and consumer promotion activities. Global shared service centers managed by third parties provide an increasing amount of services to conduct our business, including a number of accounting, internal control, information technology, human resources, and computing functions. Continuity of business applications and services has been, and may in the future be, disrupted by events such as infection by viruses or malware. In addition, our continuity of business applications and operations has been, and may in the future be, disrupted by other issues, including cybersecurity attacks (which may include social engineering, business email compromise, cyber extortion, denial of service, attempts to exploit vulnerabilities, hacking, website defacement, theft of passwords and other credentials, or unauthorized use of computing resources for digital currency mining); issues with or errors in systems’ maintenance or security; migration of applications to the cloud; power outages; hardware or software failures; telecommunication failures; natural disasters; terrorist attacks; unintentional or malicious actions of employees or contractors; and fires and other catastrophic occurrences and other cyber incidents.
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Like most major corporations, we are regularly subject to cyberattacks and other cyber incidents, including the types of attacks and incidents described above. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to continue building and maintaining our information technology infrastructure, or if we fail to identify in a timely manner or appropriately respond to cyberattacks or other cyber incidents, including with respect to third-party service providers, our business has been and can continue to be adversely affected, which has resulted in and can continue to result in some or all of the following: business disruption, systems performance degradation, processing inefficiencies or other systems disruptions, the loss of or damage to intellectual property or sensitive data (including confidential information that we process and maintain about our employees or consumers through our e-commerce platform) through security breaches or otherwise, incorrect or adverse effects on financial reporting, litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations, fines or penalties, remediation costs, damage to our reputation or a negative impact on employee morale or the loss of current or potential customers, all of which can adversely affect our business. In addition, these risks also exist in acquired businesses, joint ventures, or companies we invest in or partner with that use separate information systems or that have not yet been fully integrated into our information systems.
Similar risks exist with respect to our third-party service providers, including cloud data service and other information technology service providers, suppliers, distributors, contractors, and other business partners, that we rely upon for certain areas of our business, including payroll processing, health and benefit plan administration, and certain finance and accounting functions. When risks such as these materialize, the need for us to coordinate with various third-party service providers, including with respect to timely notification and access to personnel and information concerning an incident, and for third party service providers to coordinate amongst themselves might make it more challenging to resolve the related issues. As a result, we are subject to the risk that the activities associated with our third-party service providers can adversely affect our business even if the attack or breach does not directly impact our systems or information.
Although the cybersecurity incidents that we have experienced to date, as well as those reported to us by our third-party service providers, have not had a material effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations, such incidents could have a material adverse effect on us in the future. Security measures, including network security, backup and disaster recovery, upgrading systems and networks, enhanced training, and other security measures to protect our systems and data, cannot guarantee that we will be successful in preventing or responding to all cyber incidents, systems disruptions, system compromises, or misuses of data. In addition, due to the constantly evolving nature of security threats, we cannot predict the form and impact of any future incident, and the cost and operational expense of implementing, maintaining, and enhancing protective measures to guard against increasingly complex and sophisticated cyber threats could increase significantly. Although we maintain insurance coverage that may, subject to policy terms and conditions, cover certain aspects of a breach or disruption, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses.
Failure to comply with personal data protection and privacy laws can adversely affect our business.
We are subject to a variety of continuously evolving and developing laws and regulations in numerous jurisdictions regarding privacy, data protection, and data security, including those related to the collection, storage, handling, use, disclosure, transfer, and security of personal data. Privacy and data protection laws may be interpreted and applied differently from one jurisdiction to another and may create inconsistent or conflicting requirements. In addition, new legislation in this area may be enacted in other jurisdictions at any time. Our efforts to comply with privacy and data protection laws may impose significant costs and challenges that are likely to increase over time, and we could experience substantial penalties, litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations, damage to our reputation, and fines or penalties related to violation of existing or future data privacy laws and regulations.
Further, as a retailer accepting debit and credit cards for payment, as well as other digital payment tools, we are subject to industry data protection standards and protocols such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. In certain circumstances, our contracts with payment card processors and payment card networks (such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover) generally require us to adhere to payment card network rules which could make us liable to payment card issuers and others if information in connection with payment cards and payment card transactions that we process is compromised, which liabilities could be substantial.
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Climate change or related legislation could adversely affect our business.
Climate change may increase the frequency or severity of natural disasters and other extreme weather conditions, which could pose physical risks to our facilities, impair our production capabilities, disrupt our supply chain, or impact demand for our products. Climate change is already affecting the agricultural sector, and disruptions to crop growing conditions are expected to increase with extreme weather events, increasing temperatures, and changing water availability. Disruptions to crop growing conditions can cause changes in geographical ranges of crops, as well as weeds, diseases, and pests that affect those crops. These impacts have in the past and may in the future limit availability or increase the price volatility of key agricultural commodities, such as coffee, corn, citrus, cocoa, and apples, which are important sources of ingredients for our products.
Concern over climate change, including global warming, has led to legislative and regulatory initiatives limiting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing disclosure obligations. Increased compliance costs due to legal or regulatory requirements, along with initiatives to meet our sustainability goals, may cause higher costs associated with, or disruptions in, the manufacturing and distribution of our beverage products. As a result, the effects of climate change and legal or regulatory initiatives to address climate change could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations. In addition, any failure to achieve or properly report on our goals with respect to reducing our impact on the environment or perception of a failure to act responsibly with respect to the environment or to effectively respond to regulatory requirements concerning climate change can lead to adverse publicity, which could result in reduced demand for our products, damage to our reputation or increase the risk of litigation. Any of the foregoing can adversely affect our business.
Water scarcity and quality could adversely affect our business.
Water is the primary ingredient in many of our products and is used across our operations. The competition for water among domestic, agricultural, and manufacturing users is increasing in the countries where we operate. Even where water is widely available, water purification and waste treatment infrastructure limitations and regulations could increase costs or constrain our operations. As water becomes scarcer, the quality of the water deteriorates, including due to the effects of climate change, or requirements on water purification or filtration increase, we may experience increased production costs; manufacturing constraints; supply chain disruption; higher compliance costs; increased capital expenditures; the interruption or cessation of operations at, or relocation of, our facilities or the facilities of our business partners; challenges to efficiency gains due to higher water usage in compliance with more stringent water quality standards; failure to achieve our water efficiency and conservation goals; perception of our failure to act responsibly with respect to water use or to effectively respond to legal or regulatory requirements concerning water scarcity and quality; or damage to our reputation, any of which can adversely affect our business.
Fluctuations in our effective tax rate may result in volatility in our financial results.
We are subject to income taxes and non-income-based taxes in many U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Tax legislation may be enacted, domestically or abroad, that impacts our effective tax rate. Changes in tax laws, regulations, related interpretations, and tax accounting standards in the U.S. and various foreign jurisdictions in which we operate may impact our effective tax rate and adversely affect our financial results. In addition, our effective tax rate in any given financial statement period may be significantly impacted by changes in the mix and level of earnings or by changes to existing accounting rules, tax regulations, or interpretations of existing law. Significant judgment is required in determining our annual income tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions. Although we believe our tax estimates, including intercompany transfer pricing policies, are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits and any related disputes could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions, estimates, and accruals. The results of audits or related disputes could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements for the period or periods for which the applicable final determinations are made and for periods for which the statute of limitations is open.
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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
We, and our third-party service providers, use information technology to support our global business processes and activities, which exposes us to cybersecurity risks. KDP’s overall risk management system includes ongoing cybersecurity risk assessment and reporting, incident management, and a diligence and risk management process for third-party service providers. Employees with network access participate in ongoing phishing, social engineering, and cybersecurity awareness training efforts, and we also conduct periodic tabletop exercises led by external consultants.
Our cybersecurity risk assessment and reporting process leverages the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Framework and is managed by our CISO, whose team comprises both internal personnel and third-party cybersecurity consultants. The CISO provides periodic reports to management, including our CEO, as well as other executive leadership members, and to the Audit and Finance Committee of our Board, which has oversight for cybersecurity risk management. These reports include updates on critical cybersecurity risks and the threat landscape; updates on the status of ongoing cybersecurity improvement initiatives, the internal control environment, and ongoing internal audit activities; and, if relevant, the status of actions taken with respect to certain cybersecurity incidents identified during the period.
We have an overall incident management plan, which is intended to provide guidance and protocols to facilitate timely notification and communication to key internal and external stakeholders, as appropriate, during an incident. A subset of this incident management plan is our Security Incident Response Plan, or SIRP, which is based on leading cybersecurity incident response practices. Incidents may be escalated to the CISO, our Chief Information Officer, our Chief Legal Officer, or other members of management or the Board, depending on the severity of the incident, and are handled according to the SIRP protocols, which includes incident detection and analysis; containment, eradication and recovery; and post-incident monitoring. We have developed a framework for assessing the materiality of any such incidents, including a committee responsible for determining whether the incident is material for disclosure. The committee includes our CISO, our Chief Information Officer, our Chief Legal Officer, our Senior Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer), our head of Internal Audit, and other members of management with relevant subject matter expertise.
Our CISO has more than 26 years of experience in cybersecurity and information technology, including, prior to joining KDP in 2019, more than 11 years as a principal in Ernst & Young’s cybersecurity practice. Our CISO reports directly to our Chief Information Officer, who also has over 37 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity.
To date, we have not identified any risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, which have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. For additional description of cybersecurity risks and potential related impacts on us, refer to the risk factors captioned “Our use of information technology and third-party service providers exposes us to cybersecurity breaches and other business disruptions that could adversely affect us” and “The use of information technology by our third party commercial partners and service providers exposes us to business disruptions or other negative impacts that could adversely affect us” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We have two global corporate headquarters, located in Burlington, Massachusetts and Frisco, Texas, both of which are leased.
The following table summarizes our principal manufacturing plants and principal warehouse and distribution facilities by geography and reportable segment as of December 31, 2024:
U.S. Refreshment Beverages U.S. Coffee International Total
Owned Leased Owned Leased Owned Leased Owned Leased
United States
Warehouse and distribution facilities 27 64 — 8 — — 27 72
Foreign
Production facilities 1 — — — 3 2 4 2
Warehouse and distribution facilities — — — — 5 65 5 65
We believe our facilities are well-maintained and adequate, that they are being appropriately utilized, and that they have sufficient capacity for their present intended purposes. The extent of utilization of such facilities varies based on seasonal demand for our products and the status of our investments to maintain or upgrade various technologies or equipment within such facilities. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we announced the planned closure of our Windsor, Virginia manufacturing facility, which is expected to take place in 2025.
We periodically review our space requirements, and we look to consolidate and dispose or sublet facilities we no longer need as appropriate.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are occasionally subject to litigation or other legal proceedings relating to our business. Refer to Note 18 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements related to commitments and contingencies, which is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq's Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "KDP". As of December 31, 2024, there were 7,692 stockholders of record of our common stock. KDP's Board has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend and expects to continue to pay such dividends on a quarterly basis.
COMPARISON OF TOTAL STOCKHOLDER RETURN
The following performance graph compares the cumulative total returns of KDP for a five-year period with the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Food and Beverage Select Industry Index. The graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2019, with dividends reinvested quarterly. Performance shown in the graph is not necessarily indicative of future performance.
ISSUER REPURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
On October 1, 2021, our Board authorized a share repurchase program of up to $4 billion of our outstanding common stock, potentially enabling us to return value to shareholders. The $4 billion authorization is effective for four years, beginning on January 1, 2022 and expiring on December 31, 2025, and does not require the purchase of any minimum number of shares. As of December 31, 2024, $1,810 million remained available for repurchase under the authorized share repurchase program. We did not repurchase any shares during the fourth quarter of 2024.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K generally discusses the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and year-over-year comparisons between the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. Discussions of the periods prior to the year ended December 31, 2023 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are found in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the discussion therein for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains the names of some of our owned or licensed trademarks, trade names and service marks, which we refer to as our brands. All of the product names included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are either our registered trademarks or those of our licensors.
OVERVIEW
KDP is a leading beverage company in North America that manufactures, markets, distributes and sells hot and cold beverages and single serve brewing systems. We have a broad portfolio of iconic beverage brands, including Keurig, Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Mott's, A&W, Peñafiel, Snapple, 7UP, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, GHOST, Clamato, Core Hydration, and The Original Donut Shop. KDP has some of the most recognized beverage brands in North America, with significant consumer awareness levels and long histories that evoke strong emotional connections with consumers. We offer more than 125 owned, licensed, and partner brands, available nearly everywhere people shop and consume beverages through our sales and distribution network.
KDP operates as an integrated brand owner, manufacturer, and distributor. We believe our integrated business model strengthens our route-to-market and provides opportunities for net sales and profit growth through the alignment of the economic interests of our brand ownership and our manufacturing and distribution businesses through both our DSD system and our WD system. We market and sell our products to retailers, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, club stores, pure-play e-commerce retailers, and office superstores; to restaurants, hotel chains, office product and coffee distributors, and partner brand owners; and directly to consumers through our website. Our integrated business model enables us to be more flexible and responsive to the changing needs of our large retail customers and allows us to more fully leverage our scale and reduce costs by creating greater geographic manufacturing and distribution coverage.
SEGMENTS
Our operating and reportable segments are as follows:
•The U.S. Refreshment Beverages segment reflects sales in the U.S. from the manufacture and distribution of branded concentrates, syrup, and finished beverages, including the sales of our own brands and third-party brands, to third-party bottlers, distributors, and retailers.
•The U.S. Coffee segment reflects sales in the U.S. from the manufacture and distribution of finished goods relating to our K-Cup pods, single serve brewers, and other coffee products to partners, retailers, and directly to consumers through our Keurig.com website.
•The International segment reflects sales in international markets, including the following:
◦Sales in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and other international markets from the manufacture and distribution of branded concentrates, syrup, and finished beverages, including sales of our own brands and third-party brands, to third-party bottlers, distributors, and retailers.
◦Sales in Canada from the manufacture and distribution of finished goods relating to our single serve brewers, K-Cup pods, and other coffee products.
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VOLUME
In evaluating our performance, we use different volume measures for LRB and for K-Cup pods and appliances.
For LRB, we measure our sales volume in 288 fluid ounce equivalent cases.
•For beverage concentrates, we measure our sales volume as concentrate case sales for concentrates sold by us to our bottlers and distributors. A concentrate case is the amount of concentrate needed to make one case of 288 fluid ounces of finished beverage, the equivalent of 24 twelve ounce servings. It does not include any other component of the finished beverage other than concentrate.
•For packaged beverages, we measure volume as case sales to customers. A case sale represents a unit of measurement equal to 288 fluid ounces of packaged beverage sold by us. Case sales include both our owned brands and certain brands licensed to and/or distributed by us.
For our K-Cup pods and appliances, we measure our sales volume as the number of appliances and the number of individual K-Cup pods sold to our customers.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Financial Overview
As Reported, in millions (except Diluted EPS)
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Key Events During and Subsequent to the Fourth Quarter of 2024
On October 23, 2024, we entered into a definitive agreement with GHOST, and certain other parties named therein, to acquire a controlling interest in GHOST. Founded in 2016, GHOST is a lifestyle sports nutrition business with a portfolio anchored by GHOST Energy, a leading ready-to-drink energy brand.
Under the terms of the agreement, we initially purchased a 60% stake in GHOST for aggregate consideration of approximately $1 billion on December 31, 2024. We also entered into an agreement requiring us to purchase the remaining equity interests in GHOST in 2028. The initial payment was funded primarily by proceeds drawn from the Term Loan Agreement. We also executed an agreement with GHOST and ABI which transfers the distribution rights for GHOST products from ABI to us, effective March 3, 2025, for a termination payment to ABI of $225 million which will be paid during the first quarter of 2025. Refer to Note 4 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
On January 31, 2025, we repaid the amount outstanding under the Term Loan Agreement using proceeds from commercial paper.
Uncertainties and Trends Affecting Our Business
We believe the North American beverage market is influenced by certain key trends and uncertainties. Refer to Item 1A, Risk Factors, as well as the Uncertainties and Trends Affecting Liquidity and Capital Resources section below, for more information about risks and uncertainties facing us.
Refer to Note 6 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements and Item 7A, Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for management's discussion of how we manage our exposure to commodity risk.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
We eliminate from our financial results all intercompany transactions between entities included in our consolidated financial statements and the intercompany transactions with our equity method investees.
References in the financial tables to percentage changes that are not meaningful are denoted by "NM".
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For the Year Ended December 31, 2024 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2023:
Consolidated Operations
The following table sets forth our consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
For the Year Ended December 31, Dollar Percentage
(in millions, except per share amounts) 2024 2023 Change Change
Impairment of goodwill 306 — 306 NM
Impairment of other intangible assets 412 2 410 NM
Other operating expense (income), net 207 (26) 233 NM
Impairment of investments and note receivable 2 — 2 NM
Other (income) expense, net (60) (61) 1 NM
Earnings per common share:
Sales Volume. The following table provides the change in sales volume compared to the prior year:
Percentage Change
K-Cup pods 0.8 %
Appliances 7.4 %
Net Sales.Net sales increased $537 million, or 3.6%, to $15,351 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $14,814 million in the prior year. This performance reflected volume/mix growth of 2.7% and favorable net price realization of 1.2%, slightly offset by unfavorable impacts from FX translation of 0.3%.
Gross Profit.Gross profit increased $449 million, or 5.6%, to $8,529 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $8,080 million in the prior year. This performance primarily reflected the gross profit impact of net sales growth (3 percentage points), a net benefit from changes in ingredients, materials, and productivity (2 percentage points), and earned equity from the achievement of milestones associated with certain distribution agreements (1 percentage point), partially offset by net increases in other manufacturing costs (1 percentage point).
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. SG&A expenses increased $101 million, or 2.1%, to $5,013 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $4,912 million in the prior year, led by increases in transportation and warehousing expenses (2 percentage points) and people costs (1 percentage point), partially offset by reduced costs associated with productivity projects (1 percentage point).
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Impairment of Goodwill. Impairment of goodwill reflected a non-cash impairment charge of $306 million within the U.S. Warehouse Direct reporting unit in the U.S. Refreshment Beverages segment. Refer to Note 5 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Impairment of Other Intangible Assets. Impairment of intangible assets reflected non-cash impairment charges of $412 million for intangible brand assets, primarily led by Snapple. Refer to Note 5 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Other operating expense (income), net. Other operating (expense) income, net reflected an unfavorable change of $233 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily driven by the accrued $225 million termination fee associated with ABI. Refer to Note 4 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Income from Operations.Income from operations decreased $601 million, or 18.8%, to $2,591 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $3,192 million in the prior year, as our increase in gross profit (14 percentage points) was more than offset by the impacts of our non-cash impairment charges for goodwill and other intangible assets (22 percentage points) and the accrued termination fee associated with ABI (7 percentage points).
Interest Expense, Net. Interest expense, net increased $239 million, or 48.2%, to $735 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $496 million for the prior year, primarily driven by increased debt and higher financing costs (32 percentage points) and an unfavorable year-over-year change in unrealized mark-to-market activity (17 percentage points).
Effective Tax Rate. The effective tax rate increased 380 bps to 24.7% for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 20.9% in the prior year, primarily driven by the impact of our non-cash goodwill impairment charge (270 bps) and the unfavorable comparison to the prior year tax benefit received from a non-cash adjustment (100 bps).
Net Income.Net income decreased $740 million, or 33.9%, to $1,441 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to $2,181 million in the prior year.
Diluted EPS. Diluted EPS decreased 32.3% to $1.05 per diluted share as compared to $1.55 in the prior year.
Results of Operations by Segment
The following tables set forth net sales and income from operations for our reportable segments for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, as well as the other amounts necessary to reconcile our total segment results to our consolidated results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP:
For the Year Ended December 31,
Net sales
U.S. Refreshment Beverages $ 9,331 $ 8,821
For the Year Ended December 31,
Income from Operations
U.S. Refreshment Beverages $ 1,878 $ 2,483
Unallocated corporate costs (911) (924)
Total income from operations $ 2,591 $ 3,192
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U.S. Refreshment Beverages
The following table provides selected information about our U.S. Refreshment Beverages segment’s results:
For the Year Ended December 31, Dollar Percentage
Sales Volume. Sales volumes for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased approximately 1.0% compared to the prior year period. Growth in carbonated soft drinks and the contributions from partnerships, such as Electrolit and C4, was partially offset by softness in our still beverages portfolio.
Net Sales. Net sales increased 5.8% to $9,331 million in the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $8,821 million in the prior year period, driven by favorable net price realization of 3.1% and volume/mix growth of 2.7%.
Income from Operations. Income from operations decreased $605 million, or 24.4%, to $1,878 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $2,483 million for the prior year period. This decrease was primarily driven by the non-cash goodwill and intangible impairment charges (29 percentage points) and the accrued termination fee associated with ABI (9 percentage points). Other drivers include the benefit to gross profit of net sales growth (13 percentage points), a net benefit from changes in ingredients, materials, and productivity (3 percentage points), and earned equity from the achievement of milestones associated with certain distribution agreements (3 percentage points), partially offset by increased transportation and warehousing expenses (3 percentage points).
U.S. Coffee
The following table provides selected information about our U.S. Coffee segment’s results:
For the Year Ended December 31, Dollar Percentage
Sales Volume. K-Cup pod volume was flat for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year period. Appliance volume increased 7.3% in the year ended December 31, 2024, driven by Keurig market share momentum and improving coffeemaker category trends.
Net Sales. Net sales decreased 2.6% to $3,967 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $4,071 million in the prior year period, driven by unfavorable net price realization of 3.6%, partially offset by volume/mix growth of 1.0%.
Income from Operations. Income from operations decreased $79 million, or 6.8%, to $1,079 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $1,158 million in the prior year period, driven by the gross profit impact of the net sales decrease (11 percentage points), partially offset by a net benefit from changes in ingredients, materials, and productivity (3 percentage points).
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International
The following table provides selected information about our International segment’s results:
For the Year Ended December 31, Dollar Percentage
Sales Volume. The following table provides the percentage change in sales volumes for the International segment compared to the prior year period:
Percentage Change
K-Cup pods 6.6
Appliances 8.2
Net Sales. Net sales increased 6.8% to $2,053 million in the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $1,922 million in the prior year period, reflecting volume/mix growth of 6.2% and higher net price realization of 3.0%, partially offset by unfavorable FX translation of 2.4%.
Income from Operations. Income from operations increased $70 million, or 14.7%, to $545 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $475 million in the prior year period. This performance reflected the gross profit impact of volume/mix growth and higher net price realization (25 percentage points) and a net benefit from changes in ingredients, materials, and productivity (5 percentage points), partially offset by increased transportation and warehousing expenses (5 percentage points) and higher marketing investment (5 percentage points).
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Overview
We believe our financial condition and liquidity remain strong. We continue to manage all aspects of our business, including, but not limited to, monitoring the financial health of our customers, suppliers, and other third-party relationships, implementing gross margin enhancement strategies through our productivity initiatives, and developing new opportunities for growth such as innovation and agreements with partners to distribute brands that are accretive to our portfolio.
Cash generated by our foreign operations is generally repatriated to the U.S. periodically as working capital funding requirements, where allowed. We do not expect restrictions or taxes on repatriation of cash held outside the U.S. to have a material effect on our overall business, liquidity, financial condition, or results of operations for the foreseeable future.
The following summarizes our cash activity for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022:
Principal Sources of Capital Resources
Our principal sources of liquidity are our existing cash and cash equivalents, cash generated from our operations, and borrowing capacity currently available under our Revolving Credit Agreement and our Term Loan Agreement. Additionally, we have an uncommitted commercial paper program where we can issue unsecured commercial paper notes on a private placement basis. Based on our current and anticipated level of operations, we believe that our operating cash flows will be sufficient to meet our anticipated obligations for the next twelve months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. To the extent that our operating cash flows are not sufficient to meet our liquidity needs, we may utilize cash on hand or amounts available under our financing arrangements, if necessary. At any time, and from time to time, we may seek additional deleveraging, refinancing, or liquidity enhancing transactions, including entering into transactions to repurchase or redeem outstanding indebtedness or otherwise seek transactions to reduce interest expense, extend debt maturities, and improve our capital and liquidity structure.
Sources of Liquidity - Operations
Net cash provided by operating activities increased $890 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, driven by the favorable comparison in working capital versus the prior year period.
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Cash Conversion Cycle
Our cash conversion cycle is defined as DIO and DSO less DPO. The calculation of each component of the cash conversion cycle is provided below:
Component Calculation (on a trailing twelve month basis)
DIO (Average inventory divided by cost of sales) * Number of days in the period
DSO (Accounts receivable divided by net sales) * Number of days in the period
The following table summarizes our cash conversion cycle:
December 31,
Cash conversion cycle 12 (8)
Our cash conversion cycle increased 20 days to approximately 12 days as of December 31, 2024 as compared to (8) days as of December 31, 2023, which was primarily driven by the decrease in DPO, reflecting the reduction of payment terms for certain suppliers.
Accounts Payable Program
We work with our suppliers to optimize our terms and conditions, which includes payment terms. Excluding our suppliers who require cash at date of purchase or sale, our current payment terms with our suppliers generally range from 10 to 360 days. We also enter into agreements with third party administrators to allow participating suppliers to track payment obligations from us, and, if voluntarily elected by the supplier, sell payment obligations from us to financial institutions. Suppliers can sell one or more of our payment obligations at their sole discretion and our rights and obligations to our suppliers are not impacted. We have no economic interest in a supplier’s decision to enter into these agreements and no direct financial relationship with the financial institutions. Our obligations to our suppliers, including amounts due and scheduled payment terms, are not impacted. Refer to Note 2 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our obligations to participating suppliers.
Sources of Liquidity - Financing
Refer to Note 3 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for management's discussion of our financing arrangements.
We also have an active shelf registration statement, filed with the SEC on August 19, 2022, which allows us to issue an indeterminate number or amount of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, and warrants from time to time in one or more offerings at the direction of our Board.
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Debt Ratings
Our credit ratings are as follows:
Rating Agency Long-Term Debt Rating Commercial Paper Rating Outlook
Moody's Baa1 P-2 Stable
S&P BBB A-2 Stable
These debt and commercial paper ratings impact the interest we pay on our financing arrangements. A downgrade of one or both of our debt and commercial paper ratings could increase our interest expense and decrease the cash available to fund anticipated obligations.
As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with all debt covenants and we have no reason to believe that we will be unable to satisfy these covenants.
Principal Uses of Capital Resources
Our capital allocation priorities are investing to grow our business both organically and inorganically, continuing to strengthen our balance sheet, and returning cash to shareholders through regular quarterly dividends and opportunistic share repurchases. We dynamically adjust our cash deployment plans based on the specific opportunities available in a given period, but over time we allocate capital to balance each of these priorities.
Regular Quarterly Dividends
We have declared total dividends of $0.89 per share and $0.83 per share for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Repurchases of Common Stock
Our Board authorized a four-year share repurchase program, ending December 31, 2025, of up to $4 billion of our outstanding common stock. Repurchases and retirements of common stock, including payments on our share excise tax obligation, were $1,110 million and $706 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, $1,810 million remained available for repurchase under the authorized share repurchase program.
Capital Expenditures
Purchases of property, plant, and equipment were $563 million and $425 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Capital expenditures, which includes both purchases of property, plant, and equipment and amounts included in accounts payable and accrued expenses, for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, primarily related to investments in manufacturing capabilities, both in the U.S. and internationally. Capital expenditures included in accounts payable and accrued expenses were $220 million and $276 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which primarily related to these investments.
Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliates
From time to time, we invest in beverage startup companies or in brand ownership companies to grow our presence in certain product categories, or enter into various licensing and distribution agreements to expand our product portfolio. Our investments generally involve acquiring a minority interest in equity securities of a company, in certain cases with a protected path to ownership at our future option. Investments in unconsolidated affiliates were $7 million and $316 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
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Acquisitions of Businesses and Purchases of Intangible Assets
We have invested in the expansion of our DSD network through transactions with strategic independent bottlers or third-party brand ownership companies to enhance competitive distribution scale. From time to time, we additionally acquire brand ownership companies to expand our portfolio. These transactions could be accounted for either as an acquisition of a business or as an asset acquisition, if the majority of the transaction price represents the acquisition of a single intangible asset. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we completed several acquisitions. Refer to Note 4 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information about these acquisitions. Purchases of intangible assets were $59 million and $56 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
RESIDUAL VALUE GUARANTEES
We have a number of leasing arrangements and one licensing arrangement with VIEs for which we are not the primary beneficiary. Each one of these arrangements contain an RVG. As of December 31, 2024, we have not recorded any liabilities as it is not probable that we will have to make any payments required under the RVGs. Refer to Note 19 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
UNCERTAINTIES AND TRENDS AFFECTING LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Disruptions in financial and credit markets, including those caused by global economic uncertainty and fluctuations in interest rates, may impact our ability to manage normal commercial relationships with our customers, suppliers, and creditors. These disruptions could have a negative impact on the ability of our customers to timely pay their obligations to us, thus reducing our cash flow, or the ability of our vendors to timely supply materials.
Customer and consumer demand for our products may also be impacted by the risk factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in Part 1, Item 1A in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as subsequent filings with the SEC, that could have a material effect on production, delivery, and consumption of our products, which could result in a reduction in our sales volume.
We believe that the following events, trends and uncertainties may also impact liquidity:
•Our ability to either repay existing debt maturities through cash flow from operations or refinance through future issuances of senior unsecured notes;
•Our ability to access and/or renew our committed financing arrangements;
•Our ability to issue unsecured uncommitted commercial paper notes on a private placement basis;
•Future mergers, acquisitions, or debt or equity investments, which may include brand ownership companies, regional bottling companies, distributors, and/or distribution rights to further extend our geographic coverage;
•Seasonality and other variability in our operating cash flows, which could impact short-term liquidity;
•Our continued payment of regular quarterly dividends;
•Future repurchases of our common stock or special dividends to drive total shareholder return;
•Our continued capital expenditures;
•Fluctuations in our tax obligations; and
•A potential significant downgrade in our credit ratings, which could limit i) our ability to issue debt at terms that are favorable to us, or ii) a financial institution's willingness to participate in our accounts payable program and reduce the attractiveness of the accounts payable program to participating suppliers who may sell payment obligations from us to financial institutions, which could impact our accounts payable program.
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CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The process of preparing our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the use of estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses. Critical accounting estimates are both fundamental to the portrayal of a company’s financial condition and results and require difficult, subjective or complex estimates and assessments. These estimates and judgments are based on historical experience, future expectations and other factors and assumptions we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. The most significant estimates and judgments are reviewed on an ongoing basis and revised when necessary. We have not made any material changes in the accounting methodology we use to assess or measure our critical accounting estimates. We have identified the items described below as our critical accounting estimates. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use in our critical accounting estimates. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to gains or losses that could be material to our consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of these and other accounting policies.
Impairment Assessment of Goodwill and Other Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets
We conduct tests for impairment of our goodwill and our other indefinite lived intangible assets annually, as of October 1, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate the carrying amount may not be recoverable. We use present value and other valuation techniques to make this assessment. If the carrying amount of goodwill or an intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. For purposes of impairment testing, we assign goodwill to the reporting unit that benefits from the synergies arising from each business combination, and we also assign indefinite lived intangible assets to our reporting units.
Our reportable segments as of October 1, 2024 were:
•U.S. Refreshment Beverages (reporting units: U.S. Beverage Concentrates, U.S. Warehouse Direct, and Direct Store Delivery)
•U.S. Coffee (reporting unit: U.S. Coffee)
•International (reporting units: Canada Beverage Concentrates, Canada Warehouse Direct, Canada Coffee, and Latin America Beverages)
For both goodwill and other indefinite lived intangible assets, we have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the fair value of either the reporting unit or indefinite lived intangible asset is "more likely than not" less than its carrying value, also known as a Step 0 analysis.
If a quantitative analysis is required:
•The impairment test for indefinite lived intangible assets encompasses calculating a fair value of an indefinite lived intangible asset and comparing the fair value to its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value, impairment is recorded.
•The impairment tests for goodwill include comparing fair value of the respective reporting unit with its carrying value, including goodwill and considering any indefinite lived intangible asset impairment charges.