Celsius Holdings

Celsius Holdings is an energy drink company founded in 2004 by Steve Haley. Their product, also named Celsius, is a beverage containing the equivalent of up to 200 mg of caffeine in the 12 oz core line of products, and 270 mg of caffeine in the 16 oz Essentials line.

In 2009 the company released their first energy drink in Sweden and ended with a revenue of 5.86 million. An early investor in the company was Carl DeSantis. Celsius was listed on the Nasdaq in 2017. Celsius Holdings with an annual revenue of almost $36 million at the end of 2017.

In April 2018, John Fieldly became the CEO of Celsius after working as the CFO since 2012. At the time of his take over in 2018, Celsius Holdings was worth $280 million. As of March 2024, the company is worth $21.63 billion.

Products
Celsius has different product lines that contain different caffeine levels.


 * Celsius Core [Contains 200 mg of Caffeine]
 * Celsius Essentials [Contains 270 mg of Caffeine]
 * Celsius BCAA+ Energy [Contains 100 mg of Caffeine]
 * Celsius with Stevia [Contains 200 mg of Caffeine]
 * Celsius On-The-Go [Contains 200 mg of Caffeine]

Ingredients
Celsius contains green tea extract, which boosts mood and energy through its caffeine content; Green tea extract also contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant. Guarana seed extract is used to further increase caffeine content. Ginger root is used as both a flavoring agent and for anti-inflammatory effects.

Caffeine
Celsius contains 100 mg – 270 mg of caffeine, depending on the product line and size of the can. The varying caffeine content information is located on the can of each Celsius drink sold.

Health professionals suggest you generally drink no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. Ingesting more than 400 mg can result in symptoms such as trouble falling asleep, jittery or anxious behavior, headache, stomach pain, nausea, increased heart rate, and negative mood changes.

NCAA ban
In 2021, the NCAA banned Celsius use due to it containing Ginseng, guarana, L-carnitine, and taurine, all of which are on the NCAA banned substances list, as they are performance-enhancing substances.

Major investments
Carl DeSantis, billionaire entrepreneur, invested in the early months of Celsius Holdings in 2004. DeSantis continued to invest over the span of the company's development because the product line interested him. In 2010, a $3 million dollar credit line was invested to Celsius for an advertising campaign to promote the new products, but the money did not create the outcome expected. As a stakeholder, he provided advice to the Celsius team and assisted with leadership changes in 2012 when the company was not meeting the expected business goals. DeSantis died having earned $1.2 billion dollars from a 31% stake of Celsius Holdings.

PepsiCo invested $550 million in Celsius Holdings to boost the company's growth in retailers and independent stores. This translates to a 8.5% minority stake in Celsius Holdings.

Partnership with college athletes
Celsius Holdings partnered with Learfield, a collegiate sports marketing company, to form partnerships with potentially aspiring college students. In 2023, the brand began partnering with college football quarterbacks, Bo Nix, from the University of Oregon and Michael Penix Jr., of the University of Washington.

In January 2024, Celsius began partnering with college basketball basketball players JuJu Watkins, Jared McCain, Cody Williams, and Kwame Evans Jr..

Celsius University (student brand ambassadors program)
Celsius University was created in 2022 to create paid, student ambassadors that can advertise the product line on college campuses. Studies show that student due to their course load can experience a need caffeine to stay awake due to the stress and anxiety of being top of their class. Caffeine studies show an increase in mood, and assist with performance because the college students may experience a toll on their bodies. Celsius created Celsius University to allow for college students to advertise directly with their peers.

Motorsports sponsorship
Early in the company's history it began sponsoring motorsports entries with series such as NASCAR and Formula One. As of 2024, the company sponsors Kaulig Racing and Spire Motorsports in NASCAR and Scuderia Ferrari in F1.

Class-action lawsuit
Celsius Holdings faced a class-action lawsuit in November 2022 for allegedly misleading customers with the ingredient citric acid being added as a flavor instead of a preservative. Celsius Holdings claimed that citric acid does not serve as a preservative, but as flavoring for their beverage. The lawsuit was settled outside of the court between the parties involved so there was no ruling against Celsius Holdings. The settlement agreed included that any class member who purchased a Celsius drink for their personal purposes to submit a claim for money back. Upon submission of a claim, you can receive up to $250 for $1 per Celsius drink, or $5 per package of 14 Celsius drinks if you have a receipt. Without a receipt, you can request up to $20 per household.

Flo Rida lawsuit
Celsius Holdings faced a lawsuit in 2021 with Tramar Lacel Dillard (Flo Rida) for a breach on contract when the company allegedly withheld details about revenue. Flo Rida was a contracted brand ambassador from 2014 to 2018 which brought Celsius to concerts and events to help expand the brand. The Florida court ruled in Flo Rida's favor that Celsius Holdings was in breach of contract as Flo Rida's publicity did assist in the company growth. Flo Rida was awarded $82.6 million in January 2023 as a result of the lawsuit.