Company Overview: National Beverage Corp.

Business Description

• Industry: Beverage industry specializing in health-conscious and innovative beverage products.
• Primary Focus: Development, production, marketing, and sales of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks, and carbonated soft drinks, mainly in the United States.
• Product Portfolio:
  • Power+ Brands:
    • LaCroix®: Leading premium sparkling water brand with naturally-essenced flavors and zero calories, zero sweeteners, and zero sodium. As of FY 2025, LaCroix has 26 flavors including recent launches like Sunshine and Strawberry Peach.
    • Clear Fruit®: Non-carbonated water enhanced with fruit flavors, available in 13 flavors.
    • Rip It®: Energy drinks and shots with 21 flavors, including Zero Sugar options.
    • Everfresh® and Mr. Pure®: Juices offered in various flavors including classic (Orange, Cranberry) and exotic options (Papaya, Pineapple Mango).
  • Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs):
    • Includes Shasta® and Faygo®, brands with long histories (over 115-135 years) and regional loyalty, especially in the Midwest.
    • Faygo offers flavors like Red Pop, Moon Mist, Cotton Candy, and Rock’n’Rye.
    • Shasta has introduced Zero Sugar flavors as of FY 2025, including Chocolat Delite.

Market & Distribution

• Primary Market: United States; limited international distribution with ongoing expansion efforts.
• Customer Base:
  • Offers products through hundreds of national retailers (mass-merchandisers, club stores, drug stores, supermarkets, natural and specialty food stores).
  • Thousand of small “up-and-down-the-street” accounts.
  • Utilizes a hybrid distribution system: warehouse and direct-store delivery.
• Marketing Strategies:
  • Focus on social media, regional programs, in-store “brand ambassadors,” regional event sponsorships, endorsements, and sampling.
  • Partnerships include sports teams like the Florida Panthers NHL team.

Operations & Manufacturing

• Facilities: 12 production facilities across 10 states (California, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Washington, Maryland, Florida).
• Vertical Integration: Controls procurement of raw materials, flavor formulation, and finished product production to ensure quality and reduce costs.
• Employees: Approximately 1,681 employees as of May 3, 2025.
• Research & Development: Maintains multiple labs to develop new flavors and test for quality.

Financial Highlights (FY 2025)

• Revenue (Net Sales):
  • $1.201 billion, a 0.8% increase from FY 2024.
  • Driven by a 1.7% increase in average selling price per case and an additional week in the fiscal year.
• Net Income:
  • $186.8 million
  • Slight increase from $176.7 million in FY 2024.
• Gross Profit:
  • $443.9 million, up from $428.5 million in FY 2024.
  • Gross margin increased to 37.0%.
• Employees: 1,681 employees.
• Shareholders’ Equity: Approximately $444 million.
• Market Capitalization:
  • The aggregate market value of the stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $1.1 billion as of October 25, 2024.
• Stock outstanding: About 93.6 million shares as of June 30, 2025.

Summary

• National Beverage is a leading producer of healthier and innovative beverages, with the flagship brand LaCroix leading the premium sparkling water segment nationally.
• Longstanding regional soft drink brands Faygo and Shasta continue to maintain regional loyalty.
• The company emphasizes quick response to consumer trends, regional marketing, and innovative product development.
• Financial performance remains stable with modest year-over-year sales growth and significant net income, supported by diversified product offerings and broad distribution channels.