THE TOP 100 BEVERAGE COMPANIES

It's no surprise that The Coca-Cola Co and Nestle SA once again hold the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, on Beverage Industry's annual Top 100 list. InBev, for a second consecutive year, holds No. 3. But while there tends to be little shuffling among the major beverage companies for the Top 10 spots, 2007 did see some movement among the other players. With import and craft sales up, and the wine and spirits market encroaching on traditional beer sales, leading US domestic brewers continued to face challenges last year. Anheuser-Busch, the perennial leading US domestic brewery, dropped two spots to come in at No. 6. Red Bull (No. 19 on the Top 100 list) hopes to invigorate the sluggish cola market with the debut of its new Red Bull Simply Cola in Las Vegas this month. A table of the Top 100 beverage companies is presented.