Coca-Cola shifting sports drink business BodyArmor to Atlanta, report says
Coca-Cola will migrate its sports drink business BodyArmor Sports Nutrition from New York to Atlanta, an effort that brings several of the company’s hydration brands under one unit, according to trade publication Beverage Digest.
The BodyArmor business, which includes the coconut water-based sports beverage along with the Powerade brand, operates today at a Whitestone, New York headquarters. But those brands will be folded into a new unit based in Atlanta that includes Vitaminwater and Smartwater, Beverage Digest reported.
The publication cited a memo from Coca-Cola North America Operating Unit President Jennifer Mann, in which she reportedly said the strategy will “bring greater clarity, speed, and consistency by enabling us to operate with one clear voice to bottlers and customers across a broader hydration portfolio.”
A Coca-Cola spokesperson declined to comment to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The decision could bring workers to Atlanta, though it’s not clear how many.
Another trade publication, BevNET, reported that some workers were given the option to move to Atlanta, and others were offered severance packages. BevNET estimated 500 employees work for BodyArmor, but it was unknown how many were tied to the New York headquarters.
Other organizational shifts are planned for Coca-Cola’s alcohol subsidiary Red Tree Beverages and ready-to-drink coffee business, with an executive who led new revenue streams, Dan White, leaving the company, Beverage Digest reported.
The reshuffling comes as Coca-Cola said late last year it would lay off 75 workers at its Atlanta headquarters as part of a wider reorganization effort.
The company is also preparing to welcome a new CEO, Henrique Braun, and has recently announced other leadership changes. Braun starts in his new role March 31.
BodyArmor, founded in New York in 2011, had about 400 employees when Coca-Cola acquired full ownership of the brand in 2021, paying $5.6 billion for the remaining 85% stake. Coca-Cola initially bought a 15% stake in the brand in 2018.
In 2022, Coca-Cola brought Powerade under the management of BodyArmor, which gave the pair of brands a level of autonomy within Coke’s North America Operating Unit and kept their operations in New York, Beverage Digest reported at the time.
Coca-Cola has competed for decades with rival Gatorade, which PepsiCo owns. Gatorade is the leading trademark in the sports drink category with almost 60% market share, according to 2024 data from Beverage Digest. Powerade is second and BodyArmor is third.
In the third quarter of 2025, Coca-Cola reported its unit case volume in North America was flat, with 2% growth in water, sports, coffee and tea beverages offsetting declines in other drinks, such as trademark Coca-Cola, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages.
Coca-Cola is set to report its fourth-quarter and full-year results on Tuesday.
Outgoing Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey, who will remain with Coke as executive chairman, had hinted at “some restructuring” of the company in 2026 during an earnings call in October.
“Think of what’s coming as we’re going to continue to drive that top line revenue growth,” Quincey said. “We’re going to find the extra investments to drive that growth. And yes, we will be discontented with ourselves and think what do we need to continue, what do we need to evolve and what do we need to transform to generate those funds for growth.”
About the Author
