Molson Coors buys non-alcoholic beverage brand Clearly Kombucha

Molson Coors has expanded its portfolio of soft drink brands with the acquisition Clearly Kombucha for an undisclosed sum. The fermented tea product clearly taps into the healthy choice hype in soft drinks, while being fair-trade, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, vegan and kosher. According to the data site Crunchbase, it is distributed in California, Colorado, Texas, Washington, Oregon and Montana.

Kombucha is a buoyant category. Estimates place kombucha’s total category sales at over USD 600 million per annum.

Founded in San Francisco in 2009 by two students, Ali Zarrow and Caleb Cargle, Clearly Kombucha’s marketing exudes a lot of Hippie vibes: making a better product, becoming better people, and creating a better world. Yo, love, peace and happiness all around.

The deal was announced in early June 2018. Most likely, the transaction did not attract the heady multiples enjoyed by craft brewers as Molson Coors still carries a lot of debt, resulting from the acquisition of SABMiller‘s stake in MillerCoors.

Clearly Kombucha will be integrated into the Tenth & Blake craft and speciality import division. Reportedly, the founders of Clearly Kombucha will remain with the company.