Fans of Bang Energy drinks may see fresh new cans hit shelves later this year after Monster bought out the struggling company and intends to incorporate it into its seemingly unstoppable beverage empire.
Bang Energy launched back in 2012 under CEO Jack Owoc, where it quickly took the energy drink market by storm with its eye-catching cans and quirky flavors. Owoc was vocal in his opposition to other energy companies, saying: “We are coming like a freight train and cannot be stopped.” In May 2020, things were at an all-time high for Bang, with $300 million in sales. IRI even went so far as to call the company a beverage “pacesetter.” But a series of increasingly acrimonious legal battles with Monster over branding led Bang into choppy financial waters. Owoc then went public with his disdain for Monster, claiming that Bang was a healthier alternative.
But his one-man battle against the big energy drink companies has ended in ruin. March 2023 saw Owoc ousted from all positions in the company, and July saw the colossal Monster Beverage Corp strike a deal to acquire “substantially all of Bang Energy’s assets.” Monster reportedly laid down over $360 million to see the deal through – an amount that the energy giant can easily afford. This means that Monster will also save the company’s beverage production center in Phoenix, Arizona, hopefully safeguarding the jobs of the plant’s workers.
With luck, Bang fans could get their fix of “Birthday Cake Bash” and “Radical Skidattle” again, even if it is under the Monster umbrella.