Who Owns Celsius? The Company Behind the Energy Drink Brand
If you are asking who owns Celsius, the direct answer is: Celsius Holdings, Inc. It trades publicly on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker CELH.
No single individual or private entity owns it outright. PepsiCo holds roughly an 11% minority stake.
What Is Celsius Holdings, Inc.?
Celsius Holdings is the parent company of the CELSIUS® drink. It develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes functional energy drinks across the United States and in international markets including Europe, Canada, and the Asia-Pacific region.
The company's roots go back to April 2004, when it was incorporated in Florida as Elite FX, Inc. That entity later reorganized and became Celsius Holdings, Inc.
Today it operates as a fully public corporation. No founding individual retains a controlling ownership position.
In practice, Celsius Holdings functions the way most mid-to-large consumer beverage companies do: ownership is distributed across thousands of institutional investors, retail shareholders, and a smaller slice held by company insiders.
Who Runs Celsius?
Current CEO and Leadership
John Fieldly serves as Chief Executive Officer of Celsius Holdings, Inc. As a publicly traded company, governance sits with a Board of Directors rather than with any one individual.
What's often overlooked is that being a public company means leadership influences direction, but ownership is technically spread across every shareholder.
No executive owns a controlling block that would let them single-handedly dictate the company's fate.
Founding Background
The company started as Elite FX, Inc. in Florida in 2004. It reorganized into Celsius Holdings through a reverse merger process in early 2007.
The brand CELSIUS® was Elite FX's first commercial product. Over the years, ownership has shifted entirely to public markets and institutional investors.
Breaking Down the Celsius Shareholders
Who Owns Celsius Stock?
Because Celsius Holdings is publicly traded on Nasdaq (ticker: CELH), ownership is distributed. Here is how that breaks down in general terms.
|
Ownership Category |
Description |
|
Institutional Investors |
Largest share; includes asset managers and funds. Vanguard Group is a notable holder. |
|
PepsiCo |
Approximately 11% via convertible preferred stock |
|
Company Insiders |
Executives and board members; estimated at roughly 2-3% of shares |
|
Retail / Public Shareholders |
General public buying and selling shares on Nasdaq |
Institutional investors hold the majority of shares, as is typical for most companies of this size listed on major US exchanges.
Firms like Vanguard and Invesco collectively hold a large portion. No single shareholder holds a majority controlling interest in the company.
Who Owns Celsius – And Is It PepsiCo?
This is probably the most common point of confusion around who owns Celsius. The short answer is no.
PepsiCo's First Investment in 2022
In August 2022, according to Bloomberg, PepsiCo paid $550 million for convertible preferred stock equating to roughly an 8.5% ownership stake in Celsius Holdings.
Alongside that investment, PepsiCo also became Celsius's primary distributor in the United States and Canada.
The investment gave Celsius something valuable beyond cash: access to PepsiCo's direct-store-delivery network, which is one of the most extensive in the country.
That distribution reach changed how quickly Celsius could get shelf space at major retailers.
PepsiCo's Expanded Stake in 2025
In August 2025, PepsiCo deepened the relationship. It invested an additional $585 million through Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, raising its total stake to approximately 11%, as reported by CNBC.
As part of this deal, PepsiCo transferred US and Canadian rights to the Rockstar Energy brand over to Celsius Holdings. PepsiCo retained Rockstar's international rights.
At first glance this might look like PepsiCo is moving toward owning Celsius. But the structure tells a different story. Eleven percent is a meaningful minority position.
Celsius Holdings still operates as an independent, publicly traded company. PepsiCo has a board seat and a strong distribution role, but Celsius is not a PepsiCo subsidiary.
What Brands Does Celsius Holdings Own?
Who owns Celsius the drink is one question. What Celsius Holdings actually controls now is a broader one. As of 2025, the portfolio includes three brands.
CELSIUS® is the original flagship product. It is a fitness-positioned functional energy drink formulated with ingredients including green tea extract, guarana, ginger root, and B vitamins. No sugar, no aspartame, and no artificial colors or flavors.
Alani Nu® was acquired by Celsius Holdings in 2025. It targets a largely female consumer base and had been growing steadily in the energy drink market before the acquisition.
Rockstar Energy® (US and Canada only) was transferred to Celsius Holdings as part of the 2025 PepsiCo deal. PepsiCo continues to hold Rockstar's rights in international markets.
Investors and analysts in the beverage space commonly note that this kind of rapid brand portfolio expansion is a strategic signal.
It suggests Celsius Holdings is positioning itself to compete across multiple consumer segments rather than remaining a niche fitness-drink brand.
How Big Is Celsius Holdings?
As of 2025, Celsius Holdings holds the third-largest energy drink portfolio in the United States by market share. The combined portfolio accounts for roughly 20% of the US energy drink market, based on Calendar Year 2025 multi-outlet data.
The company has been in operation for over 22 years and sells across the US, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Teams tracking the energy drink category commonly report that Celsius's US growth between 2020 and 2025 was driven largely by the PepsiCo distribution deal and the subsequent brand acquisitions.
Conclusion
Celsius Holdings, Inc. owns the Celsius energy drink brand. It trades publicly on Nasdaq as CELH. PepsiCo holds an 11% minority stake and serves as its main US distributor.
No single person or company holds a controlling ownership position.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Celsius owned by PepsiCo?
No. PepsiCo holds roughly an 11% minority stake via convertible preferred stock. Celsius Holdings, Inc. is an independent, publicly traded company on Nasdaq. PepsiCo is a major investor and distributor, not the owner.
Who founded Celsius?
The company started as Elite FX, Inc. in Florida in April 2004. It became Celsius Holdings, Inc. through a 2007 reverse merger. No original founder holds a controlling ownership stake today.
What is Celsius Holdings' stock ticker?
Celsius Holdings trades on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol CELH.
What brands does Celsius Holdings own?
As of 2025, Celsius Holdings owns three brands: CELSIUS®, Alani Nu®, and Rockstar Energy® (US and Canadian rights only).
Who is the CEO of Celsius?
John Fieldly is the Chief Executive Officer of Celsius Holdings, Inc.