The $5.6 billion acquisition was the largest Coke has ever made.

For a long time, Coca-Cola’s primary entry into the sports drink sector was Powerade, a basic brand imitator of PepsiCo’s Gatorade, the undisputed leader of sports drinks. Unfortunately, despite selling well enough to stay on the shelves, Powerade was never able to get Coke within striking distance of Gatorade. The brand’s latest acquisition, however, may finally change that.

Coca-Cola is buying full control of BodyArmor for $5.6 billion in a deal that values the sports drink brand at about $8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter https://t.co/kk6WjxsfVt

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 1, 2021

Coke announced today that they have purchased 100% control of Bodyarmor, another sports drink brand, and in fact the second-largest sports drink brand in the running, only behind Gatorade. This is thanks to Bodyarmor’s emphasis on healthier, natural ingredients. Coke previously purchase 15% of Bodyarmor back in 2018, but announced their intent to purchase the controlling stake back in February.

Coca-Cola buys remaining BodyArmor stake for $5.6 billion https://t.co/dXM5ZsmHsX

— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) November 1, 2021

Bodyarmor’s co-founder, Mike Repole, will remain on staff to collaborate with Coke corporate on their product portfolio. Interestingly, Repole also had a hand in the creation of multiple other prominent sports drink brands over the years, including Vitaminwater, Smartwater and Energy Brands. All three of these were eventually acquired by Coke.

Even with Bodyarmor in their stable, Coke is still far away from overtaking Gatorade, which maintains a 70% market share in the sports drink sector.