Celsius Holdings acquired OnMilk protein beverages for $45 million in early 2025 and is expanding its retail shelf footprint beyond energy drinks, according to MSN. The move signals a deliberate shift from single-brand dependence on PepsiCo's distribution network toward a portfolio model that controls more margin and category access.
The company now operates three distinct brands under one roof: the flagship Celsius energy line, the newly acquired OnMilk protein platform, and Celsius Essentials functional beverages. Each occupies a separate retail set, giving the company multiple negotiation points with retailers and reducing the risk that a single distribution agreement drives growth. The OnMilk acquisition brought an established manufacturing footprint and existing retail relationships in the protein aisle, which Celsius previously did not reach.
This works because shelf space is the physical bottleneck in consumer packaged goods. A brand with one SKU in the energy set competes for velocity and visibility within that four-foot section. A brand with products in energy, protein, and functional wellness occupies three separate sets, increasing total facings and creating cross-merchandising opportunities during retailer category resets. Retailers also prefer vendors who can deliver multiple SKUs in one shipment, lowering their receiving and stocking labor costs. By controlling more SKUs across more categories, Celsius increases its value to retailers independent of PepsiCo's influence.
The strategy also hedges distribution risk. Celsius's original growth depended heavily on PepsiCo's bottling and route-to-market infrastructure, which gave PepsiCo significant leverage in pricing and placement decisions. By adding brands that use different production facilities and serve different consumer occasions, Celsius can negotiate shelf placement directly with retailers and warehouse clubs, reducing PepsiCo's control over velocity and margin.
A small physical-product brand can copy this without acquiring companies. Start by launching a second SKU in a different category that solves a related job to be done for the same customer. If you sell a nootropic energy powder, introduce a sleep or recovery powder that lives in the wellness set, not the energy set. Approach retailers with a two-SKU assortment that covers different day parts or use cases. Position the pitch as "lower receiving cost, same customer, two purchase occasions." Even independent retailers respond to this because it reduces their vendor count while increasing basket size.
For brands selling direct-to-consumer, the same principle applies. Bundle products across categories in your email flows and on your product pages, not as a discount play but as a use-case sequence. A customer buying a pre-workout supplement should see a post-workout recovery product presented as the next step in the same routine, not as an upsell. This increases lifetime value and reduces the marginal cost of customer acquisition because one ad dollar now funds two product lines.
Celsius's portfolio expansion is not about brand proliferation for its own sake. It is about controlling more category access, more retailer leverage, and more margin across a diversified revenue base. That reduces dependency on any single partner and allows the company to survive distribution or partnership disruptions without losing growth momentum. The same logic scales down: a brand with two products in two categories is harder to replace than a brand with one product in one set.
The takeaway
Adding a second SKU in a different retail category reduces partner dependency and increases retailer value in one move.
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