Japan's Sapporo to take control of Pokka: source

Sapporo, the smallest of Japan's four major breweries, bought a 22 percent stake in Pokka in 2009 from Japanese private equity firm Advantage Partners and others.

Sapporo is planning to boost its stake by buying shares from Advantage Partners and food and dairy firm Meiji Holdings (2269.T), said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been made public.

Sapporo decided to obtain a controlling stake in Pokka, best known for its canned coffee drinks, to help bolster its softdrinks business, the source said.

Pokka also has a strong distribution network in Southeast Asia.