Keurig Green Mountain to Be Taken Private for $13.9 Billion
Keurig Green Mountain, the maker of K-Cup single-serve coffee pods, said Monday it would be bought by an investor group led by Germany's JAB Holding Co. for about $13.9 billion, creating a global coffee giant.
The deal, pitched at a 78 percent premium to Keurig's Friday close, is the latest by JAB as it seeks to become a formidable competitor to world coffee market leader Nestle.
JAB formed a joint venture in July called Jacobs Douwe Egberts -- now the largest coffee company -- by combining its D.E. Master Blenders 1753 business with the coffee business of Mondelez International (MDLZ).
JAB, the investment vehicle of the billionaire Reimann family of Germany, bought U.S. coffee companies Caribou Coffee Co. and Peet's Coffee & Tea in 2012.
Keurig's (GMCR) shares were trading at $90.05 in early trading Monday, short of the $92 a share offer.
