Celsius, based in Boca Raton, FL, markets a line of energy beverages with additional ingredients that are aimed to provide additional functional benefits beyond caffeine and carbohydrate fuel. The company’s main formula rests on a foundation of green tea and guarana seed extracts, with additional vitamins and ingredients such as l-citrulline or BCAAs depending on the product.
After adding stick pack versions of its products several years ago, Celsius has been quiet on the formulation front, with the exception of adding new flavors. Yet there’s ample evidence that the existing formulas have found a sweet spot in the market.
First $100 million quarter
Celsius reported $104.3 million in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021, which represented a 192% rise on a year over year basis from the $35.7 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2020. For the whole year, the company’s sales topped $300 million.
Celsius saw significant growth in the convenience store and vending machine channels. In addition the company has now risen to the No. 2 best seller in the energy category on Amazon with a 20% share of that category By some measures Celsius is still a bit p[layer in the energy drink game, with only a bit more than 2% of the market.
But CEO John Fieldy said that only includes channels tracked in third party data. Convenience store and vending sales as well as sales in fitness club chains add to that picture, he said.
“Celsius is grabbing more market share at an accelerated pace across all channels,” Fieldy said in an earnings call with analysts. The call was posted in transcript form on the site seekingalpha.com.
Fieldy said sourcing enough aluminum cans was a headache in 2021. The company was forced to buy more expensive cans from abroad, though he said that supply chain bottleneck is expected to ease in 2022.
Auditing problems
The one blip on the company’s rosy financial picture was an issue that has come up in financial reporting, Fieldy said. The company now believes it has made an error in how it reported stock bases compensation for some former officers of the company. This has led the company to make an open admission of some ‘weakness’ in its internal financial controls which will lead to a delay in its formal financial filing.
As a result of the disclosure, a shareholder rights law firm has started drumming up interest in a potential lawsuit. Celsius’ share price fell sharply on the announcement of the delayed filing, but has since rebounded to more than $60 a share.
