TL;DR
Get coffee and tea gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
Keurig Dr Pepper named Kimberly-Clark President and COO Russ Torres to lead its coffee operating unit, starting Nov. 3. He is expected to become CEO and a board member of Global Coffee Co., the planned coffee-focused company KDP intends to separate from its beverage business in early 2027.
Keurig Dr Pepper has appointed Russ Torres, currently Kimberly-Clark’s president and chief operating officer, to lead its global coffee operating unit as the company integrates JDE Peet’s and prepares to split into two publicly traded businesses. Torres is due to join KDP on Nov. 3 and is slated to become CEO and a board member of the planned coffee company, Global Coffee Co.
Until the planned separation, Torres will report to KDP CEO Tim Cofer, who is expected to lead the other planned company, currently called Beverage Co. KDP said Torres will oversee the integration of its existing coffee business with JDE Peet’s, the Dutch coffee group it agreed to acquire in a deal valued at approximately $18 billion. KDP announced the acquisition in 2025 and completed it in April 2026, according to Daily Coffee News.
KDP projects that Global Coffee Co. will generate about $16 billion in annual revenue, employ more than 25,000 people and operate in over 100 markets. The planned company is expected to bring together coffee products across single-serve systems, roasted and ground coffee, whole bean, soluble coffee, ready-to-drink products and away-from-home channels. Its named brands include Keurig, Jacobs, Peet’s Coffee, L’OR and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
Torres has about 30 years of consumer-goods experience, KDP said. At Kimberly-Clark, he oversees operations in more than 30 countries and previously led its $11 billion North American business. His earlier senior roles included positions at Newell Brands, Bain & Company and Mondelēz International, formerly Kraft Foods. Kimberly-Clark separately confirmed his departure, Daily Coffee News reported. Torres has also been helping lead Kimberly-Clark through its pending acquisition of consumer health company Kenvue.
A Leader for KDP’s Coffee Split
The appointment gives KDP a named leader for a business it plans to separate from its beverage operations, while the combined coffee operation is still being integrated. The decision matters to employees, suppliers, retail customers and investors because Global Coffee Co. is expected to bring together a large portfolio of brands, product formats and markets under a new corporate structure.
The projected scale—about $16 billion in annual revenue and more than 25,000 employees—also makes leadership and integration significant operational tasks. Those figures are KDP’s expectations for the future company, not reported results for a business already operating independently. The planned separation could give coffee and beverage operations distinct leadership and corporate identities, though the source report does not specify how the split will affect particular brands, jobs or commercial arrangements.
Torres’s background running international operations and a large North American business is relevant to the breadth of the planned coffee company. His appointment, however, does not by itself establish how KDP will combine the businesses or what strategy Global Coffee Co. will pursue after separation.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Series of Coffee Leadership Changes
The executive appointment follows several changes in KDP’s plans for who would lead its future coffee company. When KDP announced the JDE Peet’s acquisition in August 2025, it identified its chief financial officer, Sudhanshu Priyadarshi, as the planned CEO of Global Coffee Co. KDP changed course at its October 2025 investor day and began searching for another leader, according to Daily Coffee News.
After the acquisition closed in April 2026, KDP named JDE Peet’s CEO Rafael Oliveira to run the combined coffee operation and eventually lead Global Coffee Co. Less than three months later, KDP announced that Oliveira would leave at the end of July for an outside CEO role. Cofer oversaw the coffee business while KDP continued its search. Torres is the third executive KDP has publicly identified for the future company’s top job.
The leadership changes have taken place alongside a broader corporate plan: KDP intends to create a standalone coffee company and a separate beverage company. The target remains a separation in early 2027, but the source report does not provide a more specific date or describe the mechanics of the separation.
“Global Coffee Co. is expected to generate approximately $16 billion in annual revenue, employ more than 25,000 people and operate in more than 100 markets.”
— Keurig Dr Pepper
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Details of the Separation Remain Open
KDP has not specified the exact date in early 2027 when it intends to separate Global Coffee Co. and Beverage Co., or provided details in the source report on the legal, financial or operational structure of the two businesses. It is also unclear how the integration of KDP’s existing coffee operations with JDE Peet’s will proceed under Torres or what changes, if any, customers and employees might experience.
The announced revenue, workforce and market figures are KDP’s expectations for the future coffee company. The report does not give a breakdown of those projections by brand or region, nor does it say whether KDP expects them to change as integration continues. No specific strategy or financial targets from Torres were included in the source material.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Torres Starts in November
Torres is scheduled to join KDP on Nov. 3, 2026, and will initially report to Cofer while the companies continue preparing the coffee operation for separation. KDP’s stated target is to create two independent publicly traded beverage companies in early 2027, with Torres leading the coffee-focused business and Cofer leading Beverage Co.
Further details to watch include KDP’s timetable for the separation, the governance and operating arrangements for Global Coffee Co., and any updates on integration plans for the acquired JDE Peet’s business. The source report does not identify additional milestones or confirm whether the early-2027 target has changed.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Who is Russ Torres?
Torres is Kimberly-Clark’s president and chief operating officer. KDP said he has about 30 years of consumer-goods experience; his previous roles include leadership positions at Newell Brands, Bain & Company and Mondelēz International.
What role will Torres have at Keurig Dr Pepper?
He is due to join KDP on Nov. 3, 2026, as CEO of its coffee operating unit. He is slated to become CEO and a board member of Global Coffee Co. when KDP separates the coffee business from its beverage operation.
What is Global Coffee Co.?
It is the planned coffee-focused company that KDP intends to form from its coffee business and the acquired JDE Peet’s operation. KDP expects it to include brands such as Keurig, Jacobs, Peet’s Coffee, L’OR and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
When will KDP split into two companies?
KDP has said it plans to separate into two publicly traded companies in early 2027. The source report does not give a specific separation date.
Why has KDP named several possible coffee-company leaders?
KDP initially identified CFO Sudhanshu Priyadarshi, then named JDE Peet’s CEO Rafael Oliveira after the acquisition closed. Oliveira later announced he would leave for an outside CEO position, and Cofer oversaw the coffee business during the search that resulted in Torres’s appointment.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
