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*Net sales by US beverage maker Hansen Natural Corp jumped 63% to $246.6 million in the last quarter of 2007, driven by continued strong growth of the company’s Monster Energy line. *

Hansen’s earnings for the quarter more than doubled to $45.1 million, or $0.45 per share. Net sales for the full year rose 49.3% to $904.5 million, with earnings up 52.5% to $149.4 million, or $1.51 per share.

However, Hansen’s results were impacted by higher raw material costs. The company’s gross profit margin in Q4 declined to 51%, from 53.1% in the last quarter of 2006, while its margin over the full 12 months of 2007 was 51.7%, down from 52.3% in 2006.

Hansen also incurred contract termination costs of $15.3 million as it switched distribution to the Anheuser-Busch system last year, while a further $9.8 million was paid out to independent assessors who investigated Hansen’s granting of stock options to executives.

Rodney Sacks, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hansen, said in a formal statement that the company’s record revenues reflected continued strong sales of Monster Energy drinks, as well as the Java Monster line of non-carbonated, dairy-based coffee drinks (introduced in April 2007) and Monster M-80 energy juice (introduced in March 2007).

Sacks said: “We're excited by the launch in December 2007 of the five new Java Monster line extensions, as well as the launch of our new Monster Heavy Metal (introduced in November 2007) and Monster MIXXD (introduced in December 2007). We are extremely pleased by the reception, both from the trade and consumers to our new line extensions.

“The energy category continues to show strong growth, and the Monster Energy brand continues to grow in excess of the overall category growth.”