PepsiCo (PEP) traces its roots back to 1898 when its original formulation was created by North Carolina pharmacist Caleb Bradham. PepsiCo was formed by the 1965 merger of Pepsi-Cola and snack food giant Frito-Lay (founded in 1932). Today, Pepsi boasts 22 iconic brands with more than $1 billion in annual sales, including Lay’s, Pepsi, Tropicana, Quaker Oats, Gatorade, Naked Juice, Aquafina, Lipton, Doritos, Tostitos, Mountain Dew, Ruffles, Cheetos, and Sierra Mist. While the company is perhaps best known for its name brand sodas, carbonated beverages generate about 24% of revenue while just over half of Pepsi's sales are from high-margin snacks. The company's Frito-Lay and Quaker brands generate nearly half of total operating profits. By geography, about 60% of sales [...]

Founded in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia, Coca-Cola (KO) has grown to become the world’s largest drink purveyor and the fifth most valuable brand in the world. It markets over 3,900 products through more than 500 brands in over 200 countries. In fact, Coca-Cola is so geographically diversified that the U.S. market accounts for just  20% of its overall sales volumes and 26% of operating income. The vast majority of the company’s sales and profits come from a strong core of $1+ billion brands that the company produces in about 900 plants around the world and markets through 24 million global retail outlets. Currently, just under 70% of Coca-Cola's sales are still from sodas, but the company has aggressively been diversifying [...]

General Mills (GIS) was founded in 1866, owning just a single flour mill at the time. Since then, the company expanded into a number of different industries, including restaurants, toys, and even apparel. However, the business refocused completely on consumer foods in 1995. And in early 2018, the company made a big push into premium pet food with its $8 billion acquisition of Blue Buffalo. Today, General Mills sells a diversified mix of packaged meals, cereal, snacks, baking products, yogurt, and more. The company’s largest brands are Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Pillsbury, Nature Valley, Old El Paso, and Haagen-Dazs. Each of these brands generates over $1 billion in annual sales.

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) was founded in 1872 (incorporated in 1928) and has grown into one of the largest global manufacturers of various tissue and hygiene products, selling its products in more than 175 countries. The company's products have such a wide reach that they are used by one-quarter of the world's population. Some of the company’s key products are disposable diapers, training pants, baby wipes, incontinence care products, tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels. Kimberly-Clark's products are sold under a number of strong global brands, including five billion-dollar brands: Huggies, Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott, and Kotex. Products are primarily sold to supermarkets, mass merchandisers (Walmart is a 10+% customer), drugstores, and other retail outlets.