CORONA, CALIF. — Monster Beverage Corp. already owned beverage brands such as Monster, Reign and NOS before recently adding Bang Energy. The Corona-based company plans to use packaging colors to differentiate the brands.

Monster Beverages on July 31 completed its acquisition of substantially all the assets of Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and certain of its affiliates for $362 million. The acquired assets included Bang Energy beverages and a beverage production facility in Phoenix.

“Interestingly, Bang started off as a very much performance energy, and today, if you look at the brand and you analyze what it stands for, it really stands for a different segment, which is really lifestyle energy,” said Hilton H. Schlosberg, co-chief executive officer and vice chairman of Monster Beverage Corp., in an Aug. 3 earnings call to discuss financial results for the second quarter ended June 30.

Bang originally was in a black can and competed with Monster, said Rodney C. Sacks, co-CEO and chairman of Monster Beverage Corp. Then Bang switched to a white can.

“And then that white can has gone through a new a transition as well,” he said. “So you then got Reign, which is in a black can, and you've got Reign Storm, which is in a 12-oz white can, and so we see a definite way of separating the brands, marketing them differently.”

He added, “We’re going to probably change the packaging slightly of the Bang brand, but (it) will remain principally a white can and in 16-oz.”

In the second quarter, Monster Beverage Corp. had net income of $414 million, or 40¢ per share on the common stock, which was up 51% from $273 million, or 26¢ per share, in the previous year’s second quarter. Net sales increased 12% to $1.85 billion from $1.66 billion.

Sales in the company’s Monster Energy drinks segment increased 10% to $1.69 billion from $1.54 billion. The segment primarily includes the company’s Monster Energy drinks, Reign Total Body Fuel high-performance energy drinks and Reign Storm total wellness energy drinks.

“In the 2023 second quarter, in the United States, we focused on gaining distribution on our first-quarter product innovation,” Mr. Sacks said. “Following the success of our recent Monster Energy Zero Sugar launch, we are planning to launch NOS Zero Sugar in 16-oz cans in the 2023 fourth quarter.”

In the strategic brands segment, sales increased 26% to $100 million from $79 million. The segment primarily includes various energy drink brands acquired from The Coca-Cola Co. and Monster Beverage’s affordable energy brands.

Mr. Sacks cited Nielsen data showing sales in the energy drink category, including energy shots, increased 14% in all outlets combined for the 13-week period ended July 22 when compared to the same time period in 2022. Sales of Reign were up 44% in the 13-week period, and sales of Monster were up 11%. Sales also increased in NOS, up 11%, and Full Throttle, up 15%.

Sales in Monster Beverage’s alcohol brands segment in the second quarter. increased 88% to $61 million from $32 million. The segment is comprised of The Beast Unleashed and various craft beers and hard seltzers purchased as part of the CANarchy transaction in February 2022.

Monster Beverage Corp. in the quarter continued to roll out The Beast Unleashed, a flavored malt beverage alcohol product, in the United States. Plans are to achieve national rollout by the end of the year and to launch certain flavors of The Beast Unleashed in 24-oz single-serve cans, mainly to be sold for the convenience and gas market.

Net sales to customers outside the United States increased 10% to $715 million from $649 million.

Over the first six months of the fiscal year, Monster Beverage Corp. had net income of $811 million, or 78¢ per share on the common stock, which was up 43% from $568 million, or 54¢ per share, in the same time of the previous year. Six-month net sales increased 12% to $3.55 billion from $3.17 billion.

“Due to continued cost pressures, the company implemented pricing actions in the United States in 2022 as well as in many other international markets in 2022 and in the first half of 2023,” Mr. Sacks said. “The company plans to implement additional price increases in a number of other international markets during the remainder of the 2023 year. In the United States, the company implemented an additional price increase on its 18.6-oz and 24-oz lines effective April 1, 2023. We will continue to review further opportunities for pricing actions in order to mitigate inflationary pressures.”