Keurig Dr Pepper has closed a deal to purchase Dutch company JDE Peet's, the owner of Peet's Coffee, for $18 billion, as part of plans to spin off its coffee brands into a separate public company. JDE Peet's is also the owner of the Pilão brand in Brazil. Keurig Dr Pepper informed that it will pay JDE Peet's shareholders 31.85 euros (about $37) per share in cash, a premium of 33% over the average price of the last three months. JDE Peet's, headquartered in Amsterdam, has a market value of about $15 billion. Keurig Dr Pepper's is about $50 billion. Upon the closing of this agreement, Keurig Dr Pepper plans to separate into two companies listed in the US, one focused on coffee and the other on soft drinks, including Dr Pepper, 7UP, Snapple, and energy drinks like Bloom and Ghost. The global coffee company would have approximately $16 billion in annual revenue, while the beverage company would have about $11 billion in revenue. Keurig Dr Pepper CEO Tim Cofer said the merger will ...