PepsiCo Acquires CytoSport, the Protein Makers of Muscle Milk

By: Janet Welch

PepsiCo enters into a definitive agreement with Hormel Foods Corporation to buy its CytoSport business. While this acquisition is not final until it goes through the standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals, all estimations are that we should see this deal completed within the next 30 to 60 days.

Jim Snee, The President and CEO of Hormel Foods, said: “PepsiCo has deep expertise and experience in the sports nutrition category and has been a long-standing distribution partner for CytoSport and the Muscle Milk brand, which puts it in a strong position to grow this dynamic business. We look forward to working with PepsiCo to ensure a smooth transition for our team members, suppliers, customers and consumers.”

CytoSport was founded by the Pickett family in 1998 and is headquartered in California. Best known for their Muscle Milk protein shake, the company was later acquired in 2014 by Hormel Foods Corporation. CytoSport today has a number of successful sports nutrition brands under their umbrella, such as Muscle Milk, Monster Milk, Evolve and Cytomax.

PepsiCo holds major brands including Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana, Quaker, and Frito Lay. As of recent years, they have been working to add more diversity to their portfolio by acquiring kombucha brand Kevita in 2016 and the sparkling water brand SodaStream in 2018.

We look forward to seeing where this new acquisition will take CytoSport and its brands.

For more info, check the CytoSport and PepsiCo websites, Instagram and Facebook pages for updates.