The Coca-Cola Co. is jumping on the at-home beverage-making trend by agreeing to pay $1.25 billion for a stake in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and the opportunity to develop a countertop system for producing cold drinks that would likely compete with current market leader SodaStream.
Under the terms of the transaction, which was announced last week, Coca-Cola and Green Mountain will collaborate for at least the next decade on the creation of a cold beverage maker that combines Coca-Cola brands with Green Mountain’s popular Keurig “K-Cup” system. Coca-Cola sealed its commitment to the venture by acquiring 16.7 million newly issued Green Mountain shares—a stock purchase that gives the soft drink giant a 10 percent minority stake in the Waterbury, Vt.–based coffee maker.
