綠山咖啡的跨界野心
????2012年底,布萊恩?凱利作別曾經在可口可樂(Coca-Cola Co.)創下的輝煌成就(此前不久,他剛剛被任命為Coca-Cola Refreshments的下一任總裁兼首席營運官),轉投總部位于佛蒙特州沃特伯里、規模相對較小的咖啡生產商綠山咖啡烘焙公司(Green Mountain Coffee Roasters)。 ????以收入計,綠山咖啡的規模只有可口可樂的1/12左右。凱利加入時,綠山咖啡也有一堆麻煩,包括公司股票被對沖基金Greenlight Capital的戴維?愛因霍恩唱空,美國證券交易委員會(SEC)從2010年開始的對該公司會計行為的調查,等等。 ????但相比可口可樂,凱利喜歡綠山咖啡這樣仍處於公司發展早期、擁有巨大發展空間的企業。“它對于消費者是一項新技術,一個新主張,”他說。“它仍處於嬰兒期。” ????綠山咖啡大約出現在20世紀80年代早期,但直到2006年這家咖啡烘焙公司才收購了著名的單杯飲品系統提供商Keurig。 ????“只有到了過去六年,這兩家公司才真正實現了和諧共處,互相整合,期間也發生了很多奇跡,”凱利表示。自從去年12月凱利成為CEO以來,綠山咖啡的股價已經回升超過85%。 ????除了“綠山”產品線,這家公司還與30個不同的品牌合作,比如Celestial Seasonings、Swiss Miss和Caribou Coffee,將它們的產品提供給Keurig咖啡機的消費者。 ????目前只有13%的家庭擁有Keurig咖啡機,公司也尚未拓展至北美地區以外。凱利關注的增長不止于地域。周四,該公司宣布推出一款新機器BOLT,大約兩分鐘就可以煮好一壺64盎司的咖啡,非常適合像辦公室和便利店這樣的場所。 ????但綠山的未來已不限于咖啡。凱利在接受《財富》雜志(Fortune)采訪時列出了公司向綜合性飲料企業轉型的擴張計劃。下面是經過編輯的采訪節選: ????您的合作伙伴們會不會擔心如果他們成為Keurig咖啡機的一部分,他們自己的業務就會被扼殺?比方說,如果我能在家用自己的Keurig咖啡機煮一杯星巴克(Starbucks)咖啡,成本只有星巴克的幾分之一時,為什么我還要去星巴克? ????有2/3的飲料是在家消費的,1/3是在其他地方消費的。我們并不認為這一點在發生改變。在家消費的很多都是水。現在你是給他們一種產品,讓他們能像獲得一杯水那樣容易地享用一杯飲料。他們要做的只是打開機器,在下面放一個玻璃杯。 |
????Brian Kelley left a great gig at Coca-Cola Co. -- he had just been tapped as the next president and chief operating office of refreshments -- to run Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a relatively tiny java maker based in Waterbury, Vt. ????Green Mountain (GMCR) is about one-twelfth the size of Coca-Cola (KO) by revenue. When Kelley joined, the company also had a series of issues trailing behind it, among them a short on the stock from Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn and an ongoing SEC investigation into its accounting practices that began in 2010. ????But Kelley liked that, relative to Coca-Cola, Green Mountain was a company early in its life cycle with room to grow. "This is a new technology and new proposition for consumers," he says. "It's still in its infancy." ????While Green Mountain Coffee had been around since the early 1980s, it wasn't until 2006 that the coffee roaster acquired Keurig, the beverage system best known for its single-serve brewing. ????"It's really only the last six years that these two have co-existed and integrated, and that's where all the magic has been made," Kelley says. The stock has returned more than 85% since he became CEO in December last year. ????In addition to its Green Mountain line, the company works with 30 different brands such as Celestial Seasonings, Swiss Miss, and Caribou Coffee to make their products available to consumers for the Keurig system. ????Only 13% of households have Keurig brewers, and the company has yet to expand beyond North America. Kelley also sees growth beyond geography. The company announced Thursday a new brewing system, the BOLT, which brews a 64-ounce pot of coffee in about two minutes -- ideal for serving locations like offices and convenience stores. ????But the future of Green Mountain extends beyond coffee. In an interview with Fortune, Kelley laid out the company's plans to expand into an all-encompassing beverage business. The following are edited excerpts: ????Are your partners concerned that they'll cannibalize their business when they become part of the Keurig system? For example, why would I go to Starbucks (SBUX) when I could use my Keurig to brew Starbucks coffee at home for a fraction of the cost? ????Two-thirds of beverages are consumed at home, with one-third consumed away from home. We don't see that changing. Much of the consumption at home is water, and now you're giving them a product that they can get as easily as they get a glass of water. All they do is just pop in a pod and put a glass under it. |