When Paul Dechary joined Monster Beverage Corp. in 2008, the company was still known as Hansen Natural, an Anaheim maker of fruit juices and natural sodas.
Nearly two decades later, Monster has grown into a global beverage powerhouse, generating $8.3 billion in annual sales, with products sold in approximately 158 countries and territories and a portfolio of more than 22,000 registered and pending trademarks.
Dechary, the company’s executive vice president and general counsel, leads a nimble legal team charged with protecting Monster’s brands as the company expands worldwide. In 2026 alone, the 35-person department conducted more than 700 investigations into counterfeit products and removed over 4,000 counterfeit listings from online marketplaces.
“Monster has never stood still,” Dechary told the Business Journal. “We went from a small natural-soda company to one of the world’s leading beverage businesses, and legal has had a hand in nearly every step of that.”
The team’s work earned it the In-House Legal Team Award at the Business Journal’s General Counsel Awards, held Oct. 29 at the Irvine Marriott.
“The biggest lesson from representing a beverage brand is that legal has to move at the speed of the business,” Dechary said. “Every product, flavor, partnership and new market touches regulatory, IP, supply chain and marketing issues at once.”
For Dechary, who received the Journal’s 2023 General Counsel Award in the Public Company category, the team recognition carried particular significance.
“I have to say, this may be my favorite award because this is about the team,” Dechary told the audience, thanking CEO Hilton Schlosberg for nominating the department. “As you might imagine, being the legal department for a company called Monster Energy is really boring,” he said with a smile. “We move fast, we operate around the world, and our culture doesn’t always fit the traditional corporate mold. Our legal team embraces that culture.”
Hansen to a Global Beverage Portfolio
Monster’s evolution into a global beverage company began in 1992, when Schlosberg and Rodney Sacks acquired Anaheim-based Hansen Natural Corp.
Now headquartered in Corona, the rebranded Monster (Nasdaq: MNST) operates across four beverage segments: Monster energy drinks; strategic brands acquired from The Coca-Cola Co.; newer alcohol brands; and products associated with its former partner, American Fruits and Flavors.
The legal department has played a key role in the company’s expansion, helping bring new products to market, securing supply agreements, entering international markets and executing major transactions.
Among those deals were Monster’s $690 million acquisition of flavor supplier American Fruits and Flavors in 2016 and its $362 million acquisition of the Bang Energy business out of bankruptcy in 2023.
“We’re focused on growing our core brands and continuing to bring new products to consumers, which we see as central to our long-term growth strategy,” Dechary said.
Protecting the Brand
The legal team supports the company’s extensive intellectual property portfolio, managing and defending thousands of registered trademarks and pending applications around the world.
Often, that means working in collaboration with local authorities as “counterfeits put both consumers and the brand at risk,” Dechary said.
“Our brand protection activity includes online monitoring and takedowns, training law enforcement officers to identify counterfeits, on-the-ground investigations with local partners, and close cooperation with customs and law enforcement,” he said.
The legal team also negotiates Monster’s high-profile sports and entertainment sponsorships, including a 2025 renewal with the UFC, a first-of-its-kind entitlement partnership with Big 12 football and basketball, and an extension with the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team. The department also helped secure sponsorships with English Premier League clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, and country music star Morgan Wallen’s “Still the Problem Tour.”
The department also directed the legal strategy behind a false-advertising case against the maker of Bang Energy that resulted in a $272 million jury award in 2022. With related claims, fees and interest, the judgment grew to approximately $336 million.
The dispute centered on allegations that Bang falsely advertised the ingredients and health benefits of its energy drinks, including claims involving “Super Creatine,” Reuters reported.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the judgment in 2025, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case in 2026, leaving the award final, according to Monster’s legal department.
For Dechary, protecting Monster’s brands remains central to the company’s growth. “Our brand is one of our most valuable assets, so our strategy is to protect it proactively and globally.”
Monster Beverage Extends Growth Streak
International Expansion Fuels Sales Surge
Monster Beverage Corp. reported Thursday a 17% increase in third-quarter sales to $2.6 billion, exceeding analysts’ expectations of $2.49 billion.
The results pushed nine-month sales to $7.45 billion as of Sept. 30, up 21% year over year. Monster generated a record $8.3 billion in sales in 2025, marking its 33rd consecutive year of increased annual revenue.
International expansion continues to drive growth. Sales outside the U.S. jumped 28% in the third quarter, accounting for approximately 47% of total revenue, up from 41% for all of 2025. Latin America was particularly strong, with sales climbing 48.8%, primarily driven by Brazil.
“The global energy drink category remains healthy with continued robust growth,” CEO Hilton Schlosberg told analysts.
Alcohol Segment Struggles
While energy drinks account for more than 90% of Monster’s annual sales, the company has expanded into alcoholic beverages through its $330 million acquisition of CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective in 2022.
The company launched The Beast Unleashed in 2023 and has since expanded its alcohol portfolio. However, the segment continues to struggle, with third-quarter sales falling 14% to $28.5 million.
The portfolio has since grown to include Perrin craft beers, Wild Basin hard seltzers, Blind Lemon and Beast Tea.
However, the alcohol segment has struggled to generate growth. Third-quarter net sales declined 14% to $28.5 million.
Meanwhile, Monster’s core energy drinks division has recorded double-digit percentage sales growth since the second quarter of 2025, driven by increased consumer demand.
“We believe our portfolio of existing, recently launched and planned energy drink offerings is well-positioned to participate in the growing global energy drink category,” Schlosberg said.
— Emily Santiago-Molina
How Monster Became a Beverage Giant
Rodney Sacks and Hilton Schlosberg built a beverage empire and an OC investment portfolio
Monster Beverage’s roots trace back to the 1930s, when Hubert Hansen and his sons started a fresh juice business in Los Angeles. The company that would eventually become Monster took shape decades later, when South African immigrants Rodney Sacks and Hilton Schlosberg entered the beverage business in 1992 with the acquisition of Anaheim-based Hansen Natural Corp.
The pair expanded the business beyond its traditional juice and natural soda offerings, developing an energy drinks portfolio that would become its defining business. In 2012, Hansen Natural changed its name to Monster Beverage Corp., reflecting the success of its Monster Energy brand.
The transformation created enormous value. Hansen had a market capitalization of about $15 million in the early 1990s, according to Byron Roth, owner of Orange County-based investment bank Roth Capital. Monster was valued at approximately $95 billion as of mid-July 2026, up 67% from a year earlier, according to the Business Journal’s latest wealth profile.
In 2015, The Coca-Cola Co. paid $2.15 billion for a 16.7% stake in Monster. Coca-Cola now owns 20.9% of the company.
Sacks and Schlosberg ranked No. 12 on the Business Journal’s 2026 list of Orange County’s wealthiest residents. Their individual stakes in Monster were reported at 7.6% for Sacks and 7.5% for Schlosberg.
Their investments extend well beyond beverages. Through Hilrod Holdings, the pair rank among Orange County’s largest private commercial real estate investors. They participated in office tower acquisitions near John Wayne Airport totaling more than $600 million in the decade before the pandemic.
Their portfolio includes several prominent Irvine office properties, including buildings in the Von Karman Towers office complex, 2040 Main St. and the 2211 Michelson office tower.
In 2025, Hilrod also acquired the Thrifty Ice Cream brand out of bankruptcy, adding another consumer brand to the pair’s investment portfolio.
Their leadership roles at Monster have evolved as well. Sacks stepped down as co-CEO in June 2025 but remains chairman. Schlosberg became the company’s sole CEO and serves as vice chairman.
— Emily Santiago-Molina