Pop Questions with Keurig Dr Pepper CEO Tim Cofer
Friday, October 10, 2025
By Rose Semenov
Keurig Dr Pepper CEO Tim Cofer, ’92 MBA, knows what it means to have good taste.
Across 35 years in the consumer packaged goods industry, Tim Cofer, ’92 MBA, has built a career working with big brands like Oreo, DiGiorno, Cadbury, and more. In 2023, Cofer joined Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) as COO as part of a planned transition to CEO in 2024. KDP recorded $15 billion in net sales last year, and under Cofer’s leadership, Dr Pepper has surged in popularity among Generation Z, surpassing Pepsi as the second-favorite soda in the country. In August, Cofer announced KDP’s plans to acquire JDE Peet’s, one of the world’s leading coffee companies. Once the acquisition is completed, the company will split into two, with one selling coffee and the other, which Cofer will lead, selling cold beverages.
A proud Minnesota Carlson alum, Cofer recently returned for a full-circle moment for Carlson’s 1st Tuesday Speaker Series, sharing insights from a career that spans global leadership and transformative deals, including KDP’s $1.65 billion acquisition of GHOST Energy drinks. Cofer reflected on his leadership philosophy, how he’s fostering innovation, and why this is just the beginning.
Q: What started you on your trajectory to CEO of KDP?
Tim Cofer: I started in the late ’80s in marketing research at a Minneapolis field research agency doing store-level audits for big consumer companies. I wanted not just to collect the data but to leverage the insights to shape brand strategy. So, I got my MBA at Carlson and started my 35-year career in the consumer products industry.
Q: What about Keurig Dr Pepper excites you?
TC: Beverages is a fast-paced, dynamic industry that addresses a fundamental human need for hydration, and KDP is an advantaged platform within that attractive space. With our portfolio of iconic brands, we have the opportunity to evolve and innovate to stay on top of changing consumer trends. I also love that despite KDP’s leadership scale, we remain a challenger and have the entrepreneurial spirit to drive and disrupt.
We describe our company culture as one with a challenger mindset, and I’m a big believer in that. Having an orientation that is always willing to think differently and to challenge how things are done is a really important cultural aspect in business.
The Buzz on Tim Cofer
- He has lived in 6 countries and 7 states.
- Before KDP, he worked at Kraft, Mondelez International, and Central Garden & Pet.
- He calls leading Kraft’s $19B acquisition and integration of Cadbury a career highlight.
- He has driven the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile— an experience he “relishes” to this day.
- He highlights new drink flavors from KDP brands in “Taste Test with Tim” videos on YouTube.
Q: You mentioned the challenger mindset. Dr Pepper recently overtook Pepsi as the No. 2 carbonated soft drink in the country. How do you foster innovation, such as Dr Pepper flavor variants, while also not straying too far from tradition?
TC: It all starts with something that I believe in: consumer centrism, putting the consumer at the center of everything we do. At KDP, when you look at our strategy, that first strategic pillar, we talk about “champion consumer-obsessed brand building.” That is the magic behind this innovation success and this exciting milestone. It’s really about staying current in terms of consumer trends, consumer interests, cultural moments—identifying what’s going on in broader culture, and then thinking: How do we uniquely connect our brands with culture and with consumer passion points in a brand-authentic way? That work led to successes, such as Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut and Canada Dry Fruit Splash, which help to drive innovation and grow our business.
There is this notion that consumers love experimentation, novelty, and fun. At the end of the day, it’s a $2 purchase for a beverage. That willingness to lean out and try new things is something that consumers gravitate to. Over the years, I’ve seen really successful innovation in driving various kinds of collabs in the snacking businesses where I’ve worked in the past. Things like chocolate and cookies, for example, or candy and drinks now in the beverage business. New flavors, exciting collabs tend to resonate with consumers.
Q: Experimentation also comes from the organizational level. How is Keurig Dr Pepper expanding into other beverages, like energy drinks?
TC: As a beverage industry leader, we’re actively looking to shape our portfolio in a way that positions us to be a real leader in growth in the industry. So that means being consumer-centric and understanding where are the pockets of growth, where are the trends?
Three years ago, KDP basically had a zero presence, a zero market share in energy drinks. Yet, we saw that energy drinks was a $23 billion category in the U.S. with a 9% three-year compound annual growth rate. What we’ve done is we’ve constructed a portfolio. Some we’ve acquired. GHOST Energy was a full acquisition. Some we’ve partnered with a minority investment, like C4 Energy. And some we’re the distribution partner, like Black Rifle Energy, where we have no equity stake.
It’s a flexible playbook, which I think is smart in terms of capital allocation and working with founders. Yet at the same time, it gives a company like KDP access. We go from zero share to six-and-a-half share, and I have an ambition to get to a double-digit share with multibillion-dollar business in energy drinks in the next few years.
Q: If you were a carbonated soft drink flavor, what would you be?
TC: Wow, you are the first to ask that question. That’s a great question. I think I’d be Dr Pepper Zero Sugar. Because it is a unique, one-of-a-kind soda, right? Combination of 23 flavors. There’s nothing like it. Zero Sugar because I do my best to maintain health and wellness and enjoy the pleasure and satisfaction of Dr Pepper, but not necessarily the sugar and calorie load. So, I think I’d be a Dr Pepper Zero Sugar. A little balance.
Q: If you were to go back in time, what would you tell yourself as an MBA graduate?
TC: It has been a wonderful career to date, and one where I’ve had a lot of help along the way. It started right here at Carlson, a fantastic education in business, a great set of professors, and exposure to the business community. This included a consulting project that I did with 3M while I was here. I also had an internship at a start-up food company in the Twin Cities. These things really cemented my passion for it. So, 33 years ago, did I think I would be CEO? No, probably not.
I had big ambitions, as we all do, and I think the advice that I would give young students today is to get comfortable out of your comfort zone. Be prepared to stretch yourself, and take smart risks. Value is rarely created by playing it safe, playing it on defense. I like to play offense; I like to go for it. I think that challenger mindset really does serve a young professional well.
Top photo by Pat Vasquez-Cunningham
This article appeared in the Fall 2025 alumni magazine
With courage, curiosity, and community, it seems there's no limit to what the Minnesota Carlson network can create.