As a teenager, I have enjoyed my fair share of Monster beverages. Whether that be Original, Punch, or fruity variants, they are all sugary, unhealthy, energy packed drinks. But I would assume most don’t know of the proclaimed drink. 

History

The creator of Monster is ironically a brand called “Hansen’s Natural”, who started their business selling juices in the 1930’s. The creator of the brand is Rodney Sacks. Their goal was to create delicious drinks that were still healthy, including various fruit and berry juices. Monster itself was created back in 2002. 

Very different from their original goal, they soon decided to put everything in Monsters. It worked, the first launch exceeding their goal with a profit of 1.7 billion dollars annually. Going against their original goal, the baseline of sugar in one Monster is 50 grams of sugar and can be dangerous if consumed in large amounts, especially with underlying health conditions. “Between 2007 and 2011, the number of energy drink-related visits to emergency departments doubled. In 2011, 1 in 10 of these visits resulted in hospitalization”.

Ingredients

Monster uses excess amounts of energy to keep consumer’s buying, but surprisingly, Monster is not a completely terrible choice of drink. The main ingredient is carbonated water, instead of a soda that is packed with sugar. Ironically, Monster is actually healthier than a large chunk of sodas. 

Packed with amino acids and vitamins, including vitamin B12, C, B6, B8, B2, and B3. Most notable, B2 helps create energy, and B3 turns food into energy. Taurine is found in all Monsters, an amino acid that reduces fatigue and increases physical endurance. With all of this information, it is important to note Monsters are not healthy. They have a lot of sugar and an added chemical called sucralose that makes it sweeter to add onto the 50 original grams of sugar.

Monster’s Goal

Despite the mass amount of money made by Monster, they do not spend much of it on ads in movies, shows, video games, etc. Instead, they spend their money on bands, athletes, and the fans themselves. Specifically for fans, the employees for Monster try to create crazy events. They “created the Monster Army to back the next generation pros, the future Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath, Danny Kass and Jamie Bestwicks”. They also encourage creating merchandise, such as hats, shirts, hoodies, stickers, etc.,  even if it isn’t benefiting the company.

Monster is found in most stores in the world at around 3-4 dollars each. You’ve probably  seen someone drinking one, creating merchandise for themselves and others, or even using the empty cans to create art. Monsters  are everywhere, and will likely stay like this for generations.