Keurig

Keurig
Product typeBrewing systems
Beverage pods
OwnerKeurig Dr Pepper
CountryUnited States
Introduced1998; 26 years ago (1998)
Previous ownersKeurig, Inc.
WebsiteKeurig.com

Keurig (/ˈkjʊərɪɡ/) is a beverage brewing system for home and commercial use. The American company Keurig Dr Pepper manufactures the machines. The main Keurig products are K-Cup pods, which are single-serve coffee containers; other beverage pods; and the proprietary machines that use these pods to make beverages.

Keurig beverage varieties include hot and cold coffees, teas, cocoas, dairy-based beverages, lemonades, cider, and fruit-based drinks. Keurig has over 400 varieties and over 60 brands of coffee and other beverages through its own and partnership-licensed brands. In addition to K-Cup pods, it includes Vue, K-Carafe, and K-Mug pods.

The original single-serve brewer and coffee-pod manufacturing company, Keurig, Inc., was founded in Massachusetts in 1992. It launched its first brewers and K-Cup pods in 1998, targeting the office market. As the single-cup brewing system gained popularity, brewers for home use were added in 2004. In 2006, the publicly traded Vermont-based specialty coffee company Green Mountain Coffee Roasters acquired Keurig, sparking rapid growth for both companies. In 2012, Keurig's main patent on its K-Cup pods expired, leading to new product launches, including brewer models that only accept pods from Keurig brands.

From 2006 to 2014, Keurig, Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. When Green Mountain Coffee Roasters changed its name to Keurig Green Mountain in March 2014, Keurig ceased to be a separate business unit and subsidiary and instead became Keurig Green Mountain's main brand.[1][2][3] In 2016, Keurig Green Mountain was acquired by an investor group led by private-equity firm JAB Holding Company for nearly $14 billion.[4][5][6] In July 2018, Keurig Green Mountain merged with Dr Pepper Snapple Group in a deal worth $18.7 billion, creating Keurig Dr Pepper, a publicly traded conglomerate which is the third largest beverage company in North America.[7][8]

  1. ^ Associated Press. "New Green Mountain name shows Keurig connection". USA Today. March 10, 2014.
  2. ^ FISCAL 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Keurig Green Mountain. November 2014.
  3. ^ "Green Mountain Coffee Roasters changes name to Keurig Green Mountain Inc". Vermont Business Magazine. March 10, 2014.
  4. ^ "JAB Holding Company-Led Investor Group Completes Acquisition of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.". Business Wire. March 3, 2016.
  5. ^ Masunaga, Samantha. "Owner of Peet's to buy coffee pod pioneer Keurig for almost $14 billion". Los Angeles Times. December 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "JAB completes acquisition of Keurig Green Mountain". Vermont Business Magazine. March 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Keurig Dr Pepper Completes Merger between Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple Group - BevNET.com". BevNET.com. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  8. ^ "Keurig to Take Control of Dr Pepper in $18.7 Billion Deal". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-07-13.