CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 23, 2026--
Molson Coors Beverage Company ("Molson Coors" or “the Company”) (NYSE: TAP, TAP.A), the brewer behind leading brands like Coors, Miller, Blue Moon, Peroni U.S., Fever-Tree U.S. and Topo Chico Hard, today announced the acquisition of Atomic Brands, Inc., maker of Monaco Cocktails (“Monaco”), a pioneering ready-to-drink (RTD) brand known for combining bold flavors and quality with convenient packaging that’s ready when you are.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260323379537/en/
Launched in 2012, Monaco helped ignite the RTD cocktail category and popularized the concept of canned cocktails for big nights, high-intensity sports and live events, drawing consumers to the brand and its flavorful lineup of modern classics like Citrus Rush, Watermelon Crush, Lime Crush, Black Raspberry and more.
Since launching 14 years ago, Monaco has grown to become a top-five RTD cocktail brand* in the U.S. and holds a 5% market share of RTD singles*, in addition to now being the #1 independently owned RTD singles cocktail brand in the U.S. across all tracked retail channels.
Sold in over 70,000 retail locations across the U.S., Monaco shows up particularly strongly in convenience stores. Molson Coors sees significant opportunity to further scale Monaco, including through increased marketing support and expansion through chain retailers. Currently, the majority of Monaco’s distribution overlaps with Molson Coors’ U.S. distributor network, further positioning the brand for operational and commercial integration with Molson Coors.
QUOTE FROM RAHUL GOYAL, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE COMPANY: “Don and his team have built something genuinely impressive with Monaco. This brand was developed from the ground up with dedication and a fanbase fostered through real, in-person experiences. We believe it has the scale, the consumer loyalty and the runway for growth that we’ve been looking for – but it’s more than that. Monaco is built different. Very few brands blend quality, value and fun quite like Monaco does, and all of us at Molson Coors are excited to build on the momentum by introducing the brand to even more consumers.”
QUOTE FROM DON DEUBLER, FOUNDER AND CEO, ATOMIC BRANDS: “I’m extremely proud of the journey we’ve taken with Monaco since launching in 2012. We pioneered the canned cocktail category when it was all but forgotten, igniting a new generation of drinkers with bold, pop-culture-inspired flavors, iconic packaging and consistent high-energy messaging. Monaco has always stood for exceptional quality, incredible value, and unforgettable experiences, fueled by partnerships with music festivals and live action sports. Today, joining forces with Molson Coors fills me with gratitude for everyone who believed in us along the way. This next chapter will harness their unmatched distribution reach, operational expertise, and passion for iconic consumer brands to bring Monaco’s high-octane fun to even more fans nationwide. We’re ready to keep the party going stronger than ever.”
The acquisition advances Molson Coors’ ambition to build a strong portfolio of scaled brands across beer and beyond beer. In February 2026, Molson Coors announced its Horizon 2030 strategy, aimed at creating growth in a world of constantly evolving consumer preferences and choice. Monaco is expected to further the Company’s strategy and complement its vast beer portfolio, including growing brands such as Coors Banquet and Peroni U.S., while also advancing its Beyond Beer lineup, which also includes beloved brands like Fever Tree U.S. and Topo Chico Hard.
The deal is subject to the satisfaction of closing conditions, and the transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks.
Unless otherwise specified, all data points related to Monaco’s U.S. sales performance are sourced from Circana.
*Source: Nielsen xAOC + Convenience and Liquor, Open States Period Ending Jan 24, 2026
ABOUT MOLSON COORS BEVERAGE COMPANY
For more than two centuries, Molson Coors has brewed beverages that unite people to celebrate all life's moments. From our core power brands Coors Light, Miller Lite, Coors Banquet, Molson Canadian, Carling, and Ožujsko to our above premium brands, including Madrí Excepcional, Staropramen, Blue Moon Belgium White and Leinekugel’s Summer Shandy, to our value brands, like Miller High Life and Keystone Light, Molson Coors produces many beloved and iconic beers. While Molson Coors’ history is rooted in beer, it offers a modern portfolio that expands beyond the beer aisle as well, including flavored beverages like Vizzy Hard Seltzer, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages. Molson Coors also has partner brands, such as Simply Spiked, ZOA Energy, Fever-Tree, among others, through license, distribution, partnership and joint venture agreements. As a business, Molson Coors’ ambition is to be the first choice for its people, its consumers and its customers, and Molson Coors’ success depends on its ability to make its products available to meet a wide range of consumer segments and occasions. To learn more about Molson Coors Beverage Company, visit molsoncoors.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Generally, the words "expects," "intend," "goals," "plans," "believes," "continues," "may," "anticipate," "seek," "estimate," "outlook," "trends," "future benefits," "potential," "projects," "strategies," "implies," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, our anticipated growth and trends in our businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements, and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Molson Coors’ strategy, its expectations regarding premiumizing its portfolio and the anticipated consummation of the acquisition and the timing and benefits thereof. Although Molson Coors believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements due to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These risk factors include those detailed in Molson Coors’ public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Molson Coors does not undertake to update any forward-looking or other statements in this release, except as required by law.
Monaco Cocktails
Monaco Cocktails
Iran said it would target regional power plants and float mines in the Persian Gulf if U.S. President Donald Trump went ahead with his threat to bomb Iranian energy stations or ordered a land invasion.
The top commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command said the campaign against Iran was “ahead or on plan." The Israeli military early Monday began what it called “a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime infrastructure.”
Trump said the U.S. would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants unless Tehran released its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours — a deadline that expires late Monday Washington time.
The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Here is the latest:
Associated Press journalists heard explosions across multiple points in Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Monday afternoon. It wasn’t immediately clear what was hit.
The Kremlin said Monday that any U.S. strikes on Iran’s Russia-built nuclear power plant could trigger “irreparable” consequences.
Asked about President Donald Trump’s warning to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the “catastrophically tense” situation in the region could only be settled by political and diplomatic means.
Peskov warned that any strikes on nuclear facilities would be “extremely dangerous and fraught with possibly irreparable consequences,” adding that Russia has “conveyed relevant signals” to the U.S.
Ofer “Poshko” Moskovitz was killed on Sunday in Misgav Am, a northern community on the border with Lebanon.
The army said Monday that following an examination it determined that Moskovitz was hit by Israeli artillery fire due to “operational errors,” including directing the fire “at an incorrect angle” and not following protocol.
“As a result, five artillery shells were fired at the Misgav Am ridge instead of toward the enemy target,” the army said in a statement. It expressed regret over the incident, which it described as “very severe.”
“The deliberate destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon represents a blatant Israeli policy of collective punishment,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a Monday statement.
It criticized Israel’s “systemic and deliberate” strikes, including on bridges on the Litani River in south Lebanon.
The wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington early Monday morning to take part in a meeting of first spouses from dozens of countries organized by first lady Melania Trump.
According to the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu will be in the states for two or three days and is expected to return to Israel immediately afterward. The White House said the meeting of first spouses will focus on supporting children through the “safe and innovative use of technology.”
The strike on the bridge Monday in the southern village of Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr cut a main link between the southern city of Nabatiyeh and al-Hujair valley region farther south.
The state-run National News Agency gave no further details about the latest strike on a bridge on the Litani river to be destroyed in recent days.
On Sunday, Israel struck the Qasmiyeh bridge near the southern port city of Tyre.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called Israel’s new targeting of bridges in the south “a prelude to a ground invasion.”
Iran’s Defense Council issued the statement as concern in Tehran grows about the potential arrival of U.S. Marines to the region.
“Any attempt by the enemy to target Iran’s coasts or islands will, naturally and in accordance with established military practice, lead to the mining of all access routes ... in the Persian Gulf and along the coasts,” the council said.
The U.S. has been trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, to energy shipments. The Marines could come ashore to seize either islands or territory in Iran to support that mission. Israel also has suggested a ground operation could take part in the war.
Jamal Abdi, head of the National Iranian American Council, described President Donald Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s energy facilities as a “collective punishment.”
“Threatening to bomb Iran’s power plants is a threat to millions of civilians,” he said. “This is not a ‘targeted’ strike. This is collective punishment.”
A senior United Nations official said the war in the Middle East has “far reaching” impact on millions of people particularly in developing countries in Asia and Africa.
In a Monday statement, Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the U.N. Office for Project Services, detailed the ripple effects of the war, now in its fourth week, including “exponential price hikes in oil, fuel and gas.”
“Our world is the most violent it has been since the Second World War,” he said.
He warned that the number of hungry people is likely to increase by tens of millions over the course of the year, as the widening war threatens remittance flows.
The war also displaced 3.2 million people in Iran and 1 million in Lebanon, he said.
He called for diplomacy to end the conflict, saying: “There is no military solution.”
As Trump’s 48-hour deadline to bomb power-generation sites in Iran over the opening of the Strait of Hormuz approaches, there are several electrical sites that could be targets in the Islamic Republic.
Some 80% of all power generated in Iran is created at plants powered by natural gas.
Those plants have continued working, even after Israel last week bombed Iran’s South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf.
Among the top natural gas plants are Damavand Power Plant, Shahid Salimi Neka Power Plant and Shahid Rajaee Power Plant – all around Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Knocking those plants offline could affect businesses and homes in Tehran, as well as halt gas stations and other crucial sites.
— By Jon Gambrell
An adviser to the UAE has criticized Arab and Islamic organizations’ response to Iran’s continued attacks in the Arab Gulf countries.
“Where are the joint Arab and Islamic labor institutions,” Anwar Gargash said in a social media post Monday, naming the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Gargash, who is a former state minister for foreign affairs, said it will be “unacceptable” after the war to talk about “the decline of the Arab and Islamic role or to criticize the American and Western presence” in the Gulf region which hosts U.S. and Western bases.
The UAE, which has close ties with Israel and the U.S., has been the hardest hit by Iranian missiles and drones since the war in the Middle East began on Feb. 28.
After Iran threatened power plants across the Mideast, news outlets published a list of such facilities, including the United Arab Emirates’ nuclear power plant.
The report by the semiofficial Fars news agency, close to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, appeared to be an indirect threat to the sites, including desalination plants in the Middle East. The list also included the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant, which has four reactors out in the western deserts of the country near its border with Saudi Arabia.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency also published the list.
The threat by Tehran puts at risk both electrical supplies and water in the Gulf Arab states, particularly as the desert nations commingle their power stations with desalination plants crucial for supplying drinking water.
Trump’s self-declared 48-hour deadline expires just before midnight GMT Tuesday, further raising the stakes of the ongoing war with Iran that has disrupted global energy supplies, sending natural gas and gasoline prices soaring.
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social website early Monday: “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, TO PUT IT MILDLY!!!”
The head of the U.S. military’s Central Command says Iran is “operating in a sign of desperation” by targeting civilian sites in the war.
In an interview with the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International aired early Monday, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper said: “They’re operating in a sign of desperation. ... In the last couple of weeks, they’ve attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times.”
Cooper also noted the slowdown in Iranian incoming fire across the Mideast as the war has entered its fourth week.
“At the beginning of the conflict, you saw large volumes in the dozens of drones and missiles,” Cooper said.
“You no longer see that. It’s all one or two at a time.”
A cargo ship carrying vehicles sails through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
Israeli security forces survey the site that was struck by an Iranian missile in Dimona, southern Israel, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A displaced girl feeds a baby as other children stand at tents sheltering people who fled Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, in Beirut's southern suburbs, along the wall of the Pine Residence, the official residence of the French ambassador, in Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Smoke and flames rise from an Israeli airstrike that hit the Qasmiyeh Bridge near the coastal city of Tyre, Lebanon, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)
