A distribution agreement has been made between Nestlé Waters North America Inc. and Polar
Beverages, Inc. to produce cans under Nestea and Poland Spring brand names. The agreement
is being called “Polar Strategic Ventures,” and it will become effective July 15, 2015 and
will cover the Eastern U.S.
“This agreement allows us to combine our strong premium brands with one of the premiere
can manufacturers and distributors in the U.S.,” said Tim Brown, president, CEO and chairman
of Nestlé Waters North America. “It will advance our goal of having our products available for
immediate consumption in all formats, at anytime and anywhere.”
Polar Beverages and Nestlé Waters have a 20-year history of working together. Polar currently
co-packs some Nestlé Waters sparkling and tea products and is distributing several Nestlé
Waters products in New England.
The new strategic alliance will be jointly led by longtime Nestlé Waters veteran Jeff Weston as
chief operating officer, reporting into Tim Brown, CEO Nestlé Waters North America, and Ralph
Crowley Jr., president and CEO of Polar Beverages.
“We look forward to strengthening our long partnership with Nestlé Waters and adding Nestea
and Poland Spring cans to our strong brand portfolio,” added Ralph Crowley.
The licensing arrangement includes the rights to market everything from whole bean
coffee to portioned coffee pods for each brand owned by Starbucks.
The partnership brings together iconic brands owned by both companies. Nestlé’s
biggest brands include Nescafé, Nespresso and Dolce Gusto. Starbucks’ brands include
Starbucks (ground and whole bean coffee, K-Cups, and Via Instant) Seattle’s Best
Coffee, Starbucks Reserve, Teavana, and Torrefazione Italia.
The deal does not include the chain’s ready-to-drink bottled beverages. PepsiCo still
distributes those drinks, which have grown into a more than $2 billion retail business.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said the Nestle deal opens the door for the restaurant
chain — which has more than 25,000 locations worldwide — to reach a global scale in
the retail sector as well.
“This global coffee alliance with Nestlé is a significant strategic milestone for the growth
of Starbucks,” Johnson said in a statement. “Bringing together the world’s leading coffee
retailer, the world’s largest food and beverage company, and the world’s largest and fast-
growing installed base of at-home and single-serve coffee machines helps us amplify the
Starbucks brand around the world while delivering long-term value creation for our
shareholders.”
1929 Nestle Merger with Peter, Cailler, and Kohler Chocolates Suisse’s S.A.
JOINT VENTURES
Key Dates
1974 L’Oréal
1990 Nestle Joint Venture with General Mills (Cereal Partners world wide)
1991 Nestle Joint Venture with Coca Cola (formerly CCNR) Beverage Partners Worldwide