The Coca-Cola Company’s main competitors are: PepsiCo, Inc., Nestlé S.A., Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., Groupe Danone, The Kraft Heinz Company, Suntory Beverage & Food Limited and Unilever.

The company also competes against numerous regional and local companies and, increasingly, against smaller companies that develop micro-brands and sell them directly to consumers through e-commerce retailers and other e-commerce platforms.

Also, in some markets, it competes against retailers who have developed their own store or private label beverage brands.

The soft drink segment of the commercial beverage industry is highly competitive, and consists of numerous companies ranging from small or emerging to very large and well established.

TCCC: Financial results

These include companies that, like The Coca-Cola Company, compete in multiple geographic areas, as well as businesses that operate primarily at the regional or local level.

Competitive products include numerous soft drinks without alcohol; various water products, including flavored and enhanced waters; juices and nectars; fruit drinks and dilutable products (including syrups and powdered drinks); coffees and teas; energy, sports and other performance-enhancing drinks; milk and other dairy drinks; functional drinks, including vitamin-based products and relaxing drinks; and various other non-alcoholic beverages.

The Coca-Cola Company

These competitive beverages are sold to consumers both ready and drinkable.

Competitive factors affecting The Coca-Cola Company’s business include, but are not limited to, pricing, advertising, sales promotion programs, in-store displays, and point-of-sale marketing, product and ingredient innovation, increased efficiency in production techniques, the introduction of new packaging, new sales and distribution teams, contracting with marketing assets (theaters, sports stadiums, universities, etc.) and developing and protecting brands and brands.

On the other hand, The Coca-Cola Company’s competitive strengths include, according to the company itself, leading brands with high levels of consumer acceptance; a worldwide network of bottlers and distributors of the company’s products; sophisticated marketing capabilities; and a talented group of dedicated associates.

Conversely, The Coca Cola-Company’s competitive challenges comprise strong competition in all geographic regions; in many countries, a concentrated retail sector with powerful buyers able to freely choose between the company’s products, the products of competitive beverage suppliers, and own-brand or own-brand beverage brands; new entrants to the industry; and dramatic changes in consumer purchasing patterns due to a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Performance

The Peer Group Index is a group of self-built companies that is included in the Dow Jones Food & Beverage Index and the Dow Jones Tobacco Index, from which The Coca-Cola Company has been excluded.

The Coca-Cola Company: performance

The Peer Group Index consists of the following companies: Altria Group, Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Company, Beyond Meat, Inc., The Boston Beer Company, Inc., Brown-Forman Corporation, Bunge Limited, Campbell Soup Company, Conagra Brands, Inc., Constellation Brands, Inc., Darling Ingredients Inc., Flowers Foods, Inc., General Mills, Inc., The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Herbalife Nutrition Ltd., The Hershey Company, Hormel Foods Corporation, Ingredion Incorporated, Jefferies Financial Group Inc., and Kellogg Company.

They are also: The Kraft Heinz Company, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc., Lancaster Colony Corporation, McCormick & Company, Incorporated, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Mondelēz International, Inc., Monster Beverage Corporation, National Beverage Corp., PepsiCo, Inc., Performance Food Group Company, Philip Morris International Inc., Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, Post Holdings, Inc., Seaboard Corporation, The JM Smucker Company, TreeHouse Foods, Inc., Tyson Foods, Inc. and US F oods Holding Corp.

Finally, the companies included in the Dow Jones Food and Beverage Index and the Dow Jones Tobacco Index change periodically. In 2019, the Dow Jones Food & Beverage Index and Peer Group Index included Beyond Meat, Inc. and The Boston Beer Company, Inc., which were not included in the indices in 2018. Also, in 2019, these indices do not include B&G Foods, Inc., which was included in the indices in 2018.