NATIONAL BEVERAGE CORP (FIZZ) Business
This page reproduces the company's own Item 1 Business text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Informational only - not investment advice. See Disclaimer.
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
GENERAL
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in November 2025, National Beverage Corp. innovatively refreshes America with a distinctive portfolio of sparkling waters, juices, energy drinks and, to a lesser extent, carbonated soft drinks. We believe our creative product designs, innovative packaging and imaginative flavors, along with our corporate culture and philosophy, make National Beverage unique as a stand-alone entity in the beverage industry.
Points of differentiation include the following:
Healthy Transformation – We focus on developing and delighting consumers with healthier beverages in response to the global shift in consumer buying habits and lifestyles. We believe our portfolio targets the preferences of a diverse mix of consumers including ‘crossover consumers’ – a growing group desiring healthier alternatives to artificially sweetened or high-calorie beverages.
Creative Innovations – Building on a rich tradition of flavor and brand innovation with more than a 135-year history of development with iconic brands such as Shasta® and Faygo®, we have extended our flavor and essence leadership and technical expertise to the sparkling water category. Unique flavors and our naturally-essenced beverages are developed and tested in-house and made commercially available after extensive concept and sensory evaluation. We believe our variety of distinctive flavors provides us with a competitive advantage with today’s consumers who demand variety and refreshing beverage alternatives.
Innovation Ethic – We believe that innovative marketing, packaging and consumer engagement is more effective in today’s marketplace than traditional higher-cost national advertising. In addition to our cost-effective social media platforms, we utilize regionally-focused marketing programs and in-store “brand ambassadors” to interact with and obtain feedback from our consumers. We also believe the design of our packages and the overall optical effect of their placement on the shelf (“shelf marketing”) has become more important as millennials and younger generations become increasingly influential consumers and are now influencing baby boomers and older generations.
Market Dynamics – In a beverage industry dominated by the “cola giants”, we pride ourselves on being able to respond faster and more creatively to consumer trends than competitors burdened by legacy production and distribution complexity and costs. The ability to identify consumer trends and create new market-leading concepts defines our new product development model. Speed to market with the appropriate concept, unique flavor creation and trend forward ‘better-for-you’ ingredients continues to be our goal. Internal development teams are responsible for concept creation, packaging and design, which allow for rapid ‘go to market’ timing and reduced development costs. We strive to provide retailers and consumers with the most innovative flavors and packaging in the industry. Packaging for both LaCroix Mojito and Zero-Sugar Faygo were newly honored as top recipients of the International Davey Awards for creativity, joining Zero-Sugar Faygo and Rip It as recent honorees.
Presently, our primary market focus is the United States. Certain of our products are also distributed on a limited basis in other countries and options to expand distribution to other regions are being pursued.
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National Beverage Corp. is incorporated in Delaware and began trading as a public company on the NASDAQ Stock Market in 1991. In this report, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company” and “National Beverage” mean National Beverage Corp. and its subsidiaries unless indicated otherwise.
BRANDS Our brands primarly consist of beverages geared to the active and health-conscious consumer (“Power+ Brands”) including sparkling waters, energy drinks and juices. Our portfolio of Power+ Brands includes LaCroix® sparkling water; Clear Fruit® non-carbonated water beverage enhanced with fruit flavor; Rip It® energy drinks and shots; and Everfresh®, Everfresh Premier Varietals™ and Mr. Pure® 100% juice and juice-based products. Additionally, we produce and distribute carbonated soft drinks (“CSDs”) including Shasta® and Faygo®, iconic brands whose consumer loyalty spans more than a century.
POWER+ BRANDS –
LaCroix
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| LaCroix Sparkling Water, our most significant brand, has uniquely redefined the sparkling water category that has become a favored alternative to traditional carbonated soda. With zero calories, zero sweeteners and zero sodium, LaCroix leads the premium domestic sparkling water category. Naturally-essenced, LaCroix has gained the support of national retailers in multiple channels, including mass-merchandisers, club stores, drug stores, mainstream supermarkets and natural and specialty food retailers. In 2025, Newsweek, for the third consecutive year, named LaCroix as one of "The Most Trusted Brands in America” based on a survey of U.S. shoppers. Additionally, the classic flavor of LaCroix Lime claimed the top spot in the sparkling water category in the 2024 AllRecipes Golden Cart Awards. Renowned for their culinary expertise, the AllRecipes' Allstars praised the fresh flavor of LaCroix Lime as “super thirst-quenching”. Continual flavor and packaging innovations for LaCroix include the two newest LaCroix flavors, Sunshine and Strawberry Peach. Sunshine, launching in Summer 2025, is a bright and sparkling blend of citrus and tropical zest that conveys the refreshing essence of a sun-kissed day in every sip. Sunshine is lauded as a ‘game-changer’ as it entices consumers to not only taste its wonder, but to feel it. |
Strawberry Peach, which blends the sweet, vibrant taste of strawberries with the luscious, juicy flavor of peaches, has quickly become a top consumer favorite since its introduction in the latter half of the fiscal year ended May 3, 3025 (“Fiscal 2025”) and is featured along with newly-designed Blackberry Cucumber and Cherry Lime in a consumer-favored variety pack. Other recent additions to the the LaCroix family of 26 refreshingly innocent flavors include Mojito, with its sensory feel of paradise; Cherry Blossom – a botanical twist of sweet and just a ‘kiss’ of tart; Beach Plum with its delectable coolness of the luscious fruit native to the east coast of the U.S; Black Razzberry, a decadent, smooth and irresistible fruit flavor; the sweet tropical delicacy of Guava São Paulo; and the enticing savor of LimonCello, which instantly transports fans to the Italian Riviera. Additional LaCroix flavors are in development that will continue to feature unique packaging and flavor concepts designed to capitalize on LaCroix brand loyalty and popularity of the sparkling water category.
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Everfresh and Mr. Pure
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| Everfresh and Mr. Pure 100% juice and juice drinks are available in a variety of flavors, from such classics as Orange, Cranberry and flavored lemonades to exotics that include Papaya, Pineapple Mango, Peach Watermelon and Island Punch. The brands’ signature package is a hot-filled, 16 oz. glass bottle designed for single-serve consumption. Everfresh Premier Varietals, a unique theme from Everfresh, is positioned as a stand-alone brand for display in the produce section of supermarkets. Everfresh Premier Varietals is a premium line of apple juice derived from a variety of apples specific to the taste of the varietal, such as Granny Smith, McIntosh, Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, Fuji and Pink Lady. |
Clear Fruit Clear Fruit is a crisp, clear, non-carbonated water beverage enhanced with fruit flavors which is available in 13 delicious flavors, including consumer favorites Cherry Blast, Strawberry Watermelon and Fruit Punch. Clear Fruit is available in 20-ounce and 16.9-ounce bottles with consumer-favored sports caps.
Rip It
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| RIP It Energy Fuel offers ‘Flavors for All!’ with 21 unique flavors including Zero Sugar options. In addition to all-time consumer favorites, Tribute, Citrus X, Cherry Lime and Power, ‘Re-Energizzed’ Rip It flavors include Skr’eech In with its luscious strawberry-peach taste; along with Zero Sugar Power and Zero Sugar Citrus-X. These newest additions join pineapple YOLO and watermelon-flavored Melon Hi. Building on the flavor tradition of original Rip It, a 2 oz. sugar-free shot version in six flavors is marketed in displayable package configurations. RIP It proudly supports military and first responder heroes at home and abroad. |
Carbonated Soft Drinks –
| Having recently commemorated its 135th Anniversary, Shasta is recognized as a bottling industry pioneer and innovator. Shasta features multiple flavors and has earned consumer loyalty by delivering value and convenience with unique taste. In Fiscal 2025, Shasta introduced Zero Sugar flavors to reflect the growing trend and interest in Zero Sugar products. Also, Shasta Zero Sugar Chocolat Delite, an indulgent, rich, and chocolate-flavored soda that offers the perfect guilt-free treat for those who crave a bold, satisfying chocolate experience without the sugar, will be on the shelves in early summer 2025. | ||
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| With more than 115 years of brand history, Faygo products include numerous unique flavors such as Red Pop, Moon Mist, Cotton Candy and Rock’n’Rye along with newly introduced Super Pop and Bubble Pop. Faygo is celebrated in the Midwest as the “The One True Pop.” | ||
| Many of our carbonated soft drink brands enjoy a regional identification that we believe fosters long-term consumer loyalty and makes them more competitive as a consumer choice. In addition, products produced locally often generate retailer-sponsored promotional activities and receive media exposure through community activities rather than costly national advertising. In recent years, we reformulated many of our brands to reduce caloric content while still preserving their time-tested flavor profiles. Our brands, optically and ingredient-wise, are continually evolving. We always strive to make all our drinks healthier while maintaining their iconic taste profiles. |
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PRODUCTION
| Our structure emphasizes vertical integration; our production model integrates the procurement of raw materials and crafting flavors and concentrates with the production of finished products. The Company’s twelve strategically located production facilities are near major metropolitan markets across the continental United States. The locations of our facilities enable us to efficiently produce and distribute beverages to substantially all geographic markets in the United States, including the top 25 metropolitan statistical areas. Each facility is generally equipped to produce both canned and bottled beverage products in a variety of package sizes. We believe the innovative and controlled vertical integration of our production facilities provides an advantage over certain of our competitors that rely on independent third-party bottlers to manufacture and market their products. Since we control all production, distribution and marketing of our brands, we believe we can more effectively manage quality control and consumer appeal while responding quickly to changing market conditions. | ||
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| We craft a substantial portion of our flavors and concentrates. By controlling our own formulas throughout our bottling network, we are able to produce beverages in accordance with uniform quality standards while innovating flavors to meet changing consumer preferences. We believe the combination of a Company-owned bottling network, together with uniform standards for packaging, formulations and customer service, provides a strategic advantage in servicing national retailers and mass-merchandisers. We also maintain research and development laboratories at multiple locations. These laboratories continually test products for compliance with our strict quality control standards as well as conduct research for new products and flavors. |
DISTRIBUTION
To service a diverse customer base that includes numerous national retailers, as well as thousands of smaller “up-and-down-the-street” accounts, we utilize a hybrid distribution system to deliver our products through three primary distribution channels: take-home, convenience and food-service. The take-home distribution channel consists of national and regional grocery stores, club stores, mass-merchandisers, wholesalers, e-commerce stores, drug stores and dollar stores. We distribute our products to this channel primarily through the warehouse distribution system and, to a lesser extent, the direct-store delivery system. Warehouse distribution system products are picked up or shipped from our production facilities to the retailer’s centralized distribution centers and then distributed by the retailer to each of its store locations with other goods. This method allows our retail partners to further maximize their assets by utilizing their ability to pick up product at our warehouses, thus lowering their/our product costs. Products sold through the direct-store delivery system are distributed directly to the customer’s retail outlets by our direct-store delivery fleet and by independent distributors.
We distribute our products to the convenience channel through our own direct-store delivery fleet and those of independent distributors. The convenience channel consists of convenience stores, gas stations and other smaller “up-and-down-the-street” accounts. Because of the higher retail prices and margins that typically prevail, we have developed packaging and graphics specifically targeted to this market. Our food-service division distributes products to independent, specialized distributors who sell to hospitals, schools, military bases, hotels and food-service wholesalers. Also, our Company-owned direct store delivery fleet distributes products to schools and food-service locations. Our take-home, convenience and food-service operations use vending machines and glass-door coolers as marketing and promotional tools for our brands. We provide vending machines and coolers on a placement or purchase basis to our customers. We believe vending and cooler equipment expands on-site visual trial, thereby increasing sales and enhancing brand awareness.
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SALES AND MARKETING
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| We sell and market our products through an internal sales force as well as specialized broker networks. Our sales force is organized to serve a specific market, focusing on one or more geographic territories, distribution channels or product lines. We believe this focus allows our sales group to provide high level, responsive service and support to our customers and markets. Our marketing emphasizes programs designed to reach consumers directly through innovative digital marketing, digital social marketing, social media engagement, sponsorships and creative content. We are focused on increasing our digital presence and capabilities to further enhance the consumer experience across our brands. We periodically retain agencies to assist with social media content creative and platform selection for our brands. |
Additionally, we maintain and enhance consumer brand recognition and loyalty through a combination of participation in regional events, special event marketing, sponsorships, endorsements, consumer coupon distribution and product sampling. We have recently increased our sponsorship of sporting events and have added partnerships with various women’s professional soccer and basketball teams to our existing partnership agreements with men’s professional soccer and hockey teams. Moreover, as a multi-year partner of the Florida Panthers NHL team, winners of the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup, the LaCroix logo is prominently displayed on the Panther’s home jerseys and is on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame museum.
We also offer numerous promotional programs to retail customers, including cooperative advertising support,‘BrandED’ ambassadors, and in-store promotional activities, including theme-oriented displays and consumer ‘experiential’ engagements. These elements allow marketing and other consumer programs to be tailored to meet local and regional demographics. Additionally, the Company’s ‘MerchMx’ representatives work to develop a rapport with store managers for the purpose of optimizing shelf space, building displays, placing point-of-sale materials and expanding distribution.
RAW MATERIALS
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| Our centralized procurement group maintains relationships with numerous suppliers of ingredients and packaging. By consolidating the purchasing function for our production facilities, we believe we procure more competitive arrangements with our suppliers, thereby enhancing our ability to compete as an efficient producer of beverages. The products we produce are made from various ingredients including water, carbon dioxide, juice and flavor concentrates and sweeteners and are packaged in aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles and cartons. We craft a substantial portion of our flavors and concentrates while purchasing the remaining raw materials from multiple suppliers. |
Substantially all of the materials and ingredients we purchase are available from several suppliers, although strikes, weather conditions, utility shortages, governmental control or regulations, tariffs, national emergencies, quality, price or supply fluctuations or other events outside our control could adversely affect the supply of specific materials. A significant portion of our raw material purchases, including aluminum cans, plastic bottles, high fructose corn syrup, corrugated packaging and juice concentrates, are derived from commodities. Therefore, pricing and availability tend to fluctuate based upon worldwide commodity market conditions. In certain cases, we may elect to enter into multi-year agreements for the supply of these materials with one or more suppliers, the terms of which may include variable or fixed pricing, and/or the requirement to purchase all supplies for specified locations. Additionally, we use derivative financial instruments to partially mitigate our exposure to changes in certain raw material costs.
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SEASONALITY
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| Our operating results are affected by numerous factors, including fluctuations in costs of raw materials, holiday and seasonal programming and weather conditions. Beverage sales are seasonal with higher volume realized during summer months when outdoor activities are more prevalent. |
COMPETITION
While LaCroix Sparkling Water is the brand of choice as the number one premium domestic sparkling water throughout the United States, the beverage industry is highly competitive and our competitive position may vary by market area. Our products compete with many varieties of liquid refreshment, including water products, soft drinks, juices, fruit drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks, as well as powdered drinks, coffees, teas, dairy- based drinks, functional beverages and various other nonalcoholic beverages. We compete with bottlers and distributors of national, regional and private label products. Several competitors, including those that dominate the beverage industry, such as The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr. Pepper, and Nestlé S.A., are larger and have greater financial resources. Competitive factors in the beverage industry include price and promotional activity, advertising and marketing programs, point-of-sale merchandising, retail space management, customer service, product differentiation, packaging innovations and distribution methods. We believe our Company differentiates itself through novel innovation, focused social media, innovative flavor variety, attractive packaging, efficient distribution methods and, for some product lines, value pricing.
TRADEMARKS
We own numerous trademarks for our brands that are significant to our business. We intend to continue to maintain all registrations of our significant trademarks and use the trademarks in the operation of our businesses.
GOVERNMENTAL REGULATION
The production, distribution and sale of our products in the United States are subject to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994; the Occupational Safety and Health Act; the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; various environmental statutes; and various other federal, state and local statutes regulating the production, transportation, sale, safety, advertising, labeling and ingredients of such products. We believe that we are in compliance, in all material respects, with such existing legislation.
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Certain states and localities require a deposit or tax on the sale of certain beverages. These requirements vary by each jurisdiction. Similar legislation has been or may be proposed in other states or localities or by Congress. We are unable to predict whether such legislation will be enacted but believe its enactment would not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
All of our facilities in the United States are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. Compliance with these provisions has not had any material adverse effect on our financial or competitive position. We believe our current practices and procedures for the control and disposition of toxic or hazardous substances comply in all material respects with applicable law.
HUMAN CAPITAL
As of May 3, 2025, we employed approximately 1,681 people, of which 384 are covered by collective bargaining agreements. These collective bargaining agreements generally address working conditions, as well as wage rates and benefits, and expire over varying terms over the next several years. We believe these agreements can be renegotiated on terms satisfactory to us as they expire and we believe we maintain good relationships with our employees and their representative organizations.
We support a culture of diversity and inclusion that mirrors the markets we serve. We take a comprehensive view of diversity and inclusion across different races, ethnicities, religions and gender identity. Approximately 59 percent and 25 percent of our employee base identify as persons of color or female, respectively.
Our compensation programs are designed to ensure we attract and retain talent while maintaining alignment with market compensation. We utilize a mix of short term incentive programs throughout the organization and provide long-term incentive programs to more senior employees generally through stock-based compensation programs. We offer competitive employee benefits that are effective in attracting and retaining talent and are designed to support the physical, mental and financial health of our employees. Our employee benefits program includes comprehensive health, dental, life and disability and profit-sharing benefits.
Our operating policies emphasize the health and safety of our employees. Our operations personnel, supplemented by risk management professionals, review all aspects of employee tasks and work environment to minimize risk. We strive to achieve an injury-free work environment in our operations. Key to these efforts are data analysis and preventative actions, including benchmarking of incident rates use of risk- reduction processes.
SUSTAINABILITY
National Beverage Corp. adheres to responsible business practices and continually strives to improve the sustainability of its operations. All our beverage products are produced in the U.S., providing thousands of jobs in local communities and boasting a lower carbon footprint than imported brands. The majority of our products are delivered through the warehouse distribution system which provides more efficient and lower greenhouse gas emissions than direct store delivery systems. Additionally, we continue to invest in effective and efficient options to reduce our carbon footprint.
Water is critical to our business and we periodically conduct water quality assessments on a variety of measurements. All of our packaging is recyclable and we continually focus on reducing packaging content. More than 80% of our products are in aluminum cans, which generally contain approximately 71% recycled material. Each of our facilities has programs in place designed to minimize the use of water, energy and other natural resources.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and amendments to those reports are available free of charge on our website at www.nationalbeverage.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, our Code of Ethics is available on our website. The information on the Company’s website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other report that we file with, or furnish to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding SEC registrants, including National Beverage Corp.