Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper is a popular caramel-colored, carbonated soft drink marketed in the United States by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., a unit of Cadbury-Schweppes. The headquarters of Dr Pepper are situated in Plano, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The ownership of the trademark varies in other countries. There is also a low-calorie version, Diet Dr Pepper.

Overview and history

The drink was first sold in Waco, Texas in 1885, and was introduced nationally in the United States at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The exact date of Dr Pepper's conception is unknown, but the US Patent Office recognizes December 1, 1885 as the first time Dr Pepper was served. It is the oldest widely sold soft drink in production today, although Hires Root Beer, Vernor's ginger ale and Moxie and several other soft drinks are actually older. It was formulated by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. Apparently uninterested in soft drinks, Alderton gave the formula to Wade Morrison, the owner of the drug store. A popular belief is that the drink was named after Morrison's former employer in Texas, but this has been disputed by the Dr Pepper company itself. They state that before moving to Texas, Morrison lived in Virginia near a Dr. Charles T. Pepper, and may have been close to Pepper's daughter at the time.

Related Topics:
Waco, Texas - 1885 - United States - 1904 - Louisiana Purchase Exposition - US Patent Office - December 1 - Hires Root Beer - Vernor's - Ginger ale - Moxie - Charles Alderton - Virginia - Dr. Charles T. Pepper

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Unlike Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Dr Pepper is not a cola. Dr Pepper's flavor is allegedly derived from a mixture of soda fountain flavors popular when the drink was first devised. A partial list of these flavors can be seen at the Dr Pepper museum in Waco, although the formula itself (with its twenty-three ingredients) is a closely-guarded secret. Contrary to a popular urban legend, Dr Pepper does not and never has contained prune juice. http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/drpepper.asp In Texas, Dr Pepper is extremely competitive in the soft drink market, regularly outselling Pepsi.

Related Topics:
Coca-Cola - Pepsi - Cola - Soda fountain - Urban legend - Prune

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Dr Pepper is also available in a low calorie version, Diet Dr Pepper, which uses aspartame as a sweetener. Re-introduced in 1990, Diet Dr Pepper has a reputation for tasting particularly similar to its regular (full calorie) counterpart. According to Cadbury-Schweppes, Diet Dr Pepper is the leading non-cola diet soda.

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Distribution

In the United States, Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. does not have a complete network of bottlers and distributors, so it is sometimes bottled under contract by Coca-Cola or Pepsi bottlers. In about 30% of the country, the product is distributed by Pepsi bottlers, in about 30% of the country, by Coca-Cola bottlers and in the remainder it is distributed by bottlers that are not affiliated with either of those companies.

Related Topics:
United States - Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.

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In Canada, Cadbury-Schweppes has licensed distribution rights to PepsiCo. In Germany, Mexico, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Finland, Austria, The Czech Republic, Belgium, Norway, and Canada, Cadbury-Schweppes owns the trademark and distributes the product. In all of the other countries of the world, The Coca-Cola Company purchased the trademark from Cadbury-Schweppes and distributes the product. This mixed worldwide ownership of the trademark is due to anti-trust regulations which prevented Coca-Cola from purchasing the rights everywhere.

Related Topics:
Canada - PepsiCo - Germany - Mexico - France - Sweden - The Netherlands - Slovakia - Finland - Austria - Czech Republic - Belgium - Norway - The Coca-Cola Company - Anti-trust

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The oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant is in Dublin, Texas. In the 1960s, plant owner Bill Kloster (1918–1999) refused to convert the plant from cane sugar to less expensive corn syrup. Today, the plant is still in operation, and is the only US source for Dr Pepper made with real cane sugar (from Texas-based Imperial Sugar). Dr Pepper of this nature is called Dublin Dr Pepper. Contractual requirements long limited the plant's distribution range to a 40-mile radius of Dublin, an area encompassing Stephenville, Tolar, Comanche, and Hico; however, sales to individual customers in non-commercial quantities were (and still are) allowed, and the plant sells its product over the internet.

Related Topics:
Dublin, Texas - 1960s - Bill Kloster - 1918 - 1999 - Cane sugar - Corn syrup - US - Texas - Imperial Sugar - Dublin Dr Pepper - Stephenville - Tolar - Comanche - Hico - Internet

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Recently (as of 2003), Dublin Dr Pepper has expanded their shipping and the product is now distributed over most of Texas, and apparently available for direct sales via the net. Originally, the drink came in 8 fl. oz. glass bottles. Dublin Dr Pepper recently began shipping 12 fl. oz. plastic bottles. Both types of bottles still have the "Imperial Cane Sugar" labels on the front. It is also now available in 12 fl. oz. cans and can be readily distinguished from the corn syrup variety by its 10-2-4 packaging and Imperial Cane Sugar label.

Related Topics:
2003 - Texas

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This should not be confused with Dr Pepper from Dublin, Ireland, where the drink is bottled by Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland.

Related Topics:
Dublin - Ireland

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