SunOpta, Inc. STKL

Competitive advantage analysis · consumer-defensive

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
34/100
Developing

Ranked against 17 peers in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic

About SunOpta, Inc.

SunOpta Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of plant and fruit-based food and beverage products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It provides plant-based beverage products, including oat, almond, soy, coconut, rice, hemp, and other bases under the Dream and West Life brands names; oat-based creamers under the SOWN brand name; ready-to-drink protein shakes; packaged teas and concentrates; … Full STKL analysis →

Key strengths

  • Operating Leverage in Effect Operating leverage is evident (score 0.60), with margins expanding over time.

Key risks

  • ROIC Below WACC or Peers ROIC at 33.3th percentile suggests inefficient capital deployment.
  • Elevated Debt Risk Debt serviceability is weak (score 0.18), raising refinancing risk.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Developing
36
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where STKL ranks in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic

SunOpta, Inc. ranks #13 of 18 scored companies in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic by moat score — the top 72%. The widest moat in the group is National Beverage Corp. (FIZZ) at 76/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
9 Coca-Cola Europacific Partners CCEP 58/100 Moderate
10 Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. KDP 57/100 Moderate
11 Pepsico, Inc. PEP 54/100 Moderate
12 Celsius Holdings, Inc. CELH 40/100 Developing
13 SunOpta, Inc. STKL 34/100 Developing
14 Zevia PBC ZVIA 28/100 Developing
15 Primo Brands Corporation PRMB 27/100 Developing
16 Barfresh Food Group Inc. BRFH 15/100 Weak
17 Safety Shot, Inc. SHOT 6/100 Weak

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How STKL scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 36 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 59 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 20 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 30 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 27 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 40 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding STKL's moat

What is SunOpta, Inc.'s moat score?

SunOpta, Inc. (STKL) scores 34 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as developing. It ranks #13 of 18 scored companies in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic, the top 72%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 17 companies in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic. Its strongest defense is Cost Advantage (59/100) and its weakest is Customer Stickiness (20/100).

How does SunOpta, Inc. compare with other Beverages - Non-Alcoholic companies?

SunOpta, Inc. ranks #13 of 18 scored companies in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic by moat score. The widest moat in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic is National Beverage Corp. (FIZZ) at 76/100. The companies ranked closest are Celsius Holdings, Inc. (CELH) at 40 just above it and Zevia PBC (ZVIA) at 28 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 17 companies in Beverages - Non-Alcoholic. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is SunOpta, Inc. scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for SunOpta, Inc.?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and STKL scores: Pricing Power (36), Cost Advantage (59), Customer Stickiness (20), Capital Efficiency (30), Resilience (27), Scale & Market Position (40). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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