Nestlé Expands Portfolio with Acquisition of Chameleon Cold Brew

Nestlé USA has acquired Austin, Texas-based Chameleon Cold Brew, an RTD-focused cold brew company that has expanded its presence to stores nationwide through multiple private investments since 2010.

The financial terms of the deal have not been announced. The Chameleon acquisition comes less than two months since Nestlé acquired Blue Bottle Coffee.

“We believe the Chameleon brand is perfectly positioned to support Nestlé’s strategy for coffee, which is to have a variety of offerings in terms of format, taste and price points,” Paul Grimwood, chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA said in a press release today. “We believe this relationship will benefit both of us as we expand our access to the emerging cold brew category while helping Chameleon grow so that more people can enjoy its delicious, premium crafted coffee.”

Nestlé says Chameleon has grown to become the top-selling organic cold brew brand in the U.S., and one of the top three cold brew brands overall. Chameleon’s existing product offerings include single-serve RTD bottles, concentrates and kegs. The company also launched a line of whole bean coffees earlier this year. To this point, Chameleon has contracted the services of multiple roasting partners, including Austin-based Texas Coffee Traders.

Chameleon Cold Brew products can currently be found in major retailers including Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, Albertson’s, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

“Chameleon has been extremely fortunate to grow from our hometown base of cold-brew lovers in Austin to a national brand in just a few short years,” Chameleon Cold Brew Co-Founder Chris Campbell said in the release. “Partnering with a world-class company like Nestlé will give us the opportunity to do so on a bigger platform. Our shared values around product integrity and commitment to sustainability made Nestlé the best choice to enable Chameleon Cold-Brew to accomplish our goals for the future.”