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What happened to Dublin Dr Pepper and a hundred years of small town Texas history and tradition? Dr Pepper/Snapple Group Inc. verses Dublin Dr Pepper.
As of January 2012, Dublin Dr Pepper ceased to exist following a settlement between Dr Pepper/Snapple Group Inc. and Dublin Dr Pepper.
Dublin Dr Pepper was a Texas icon. The small Dublin bottling plant bottled Dr Pepper the old fashioned way, with pure-cane sugar, for over a hundred years. While Mr. Kloster was not the original owner of Dublin Dr Pepper, he was the manager and eventually the owner, and so he influenced the growth and popularity of Dublin Dr Pepper for about 60 years. Mr Kloster was affectionately known as Mr Dr Pepper and he was like Santa Claus to Christmas, he was an icon and spokesman for the tasty brown soda drink, spreading the love and joy of his favorite soft drink around the country and around the world. Even during lean years and high sugar prices, Mr. Kloster stuck to his Texas guns and continued to make his Dr Pepper with pure-cane sugar.
Many Texans joined Mr Kloster in been big supporters of Dr Pepper, as their own Texas brand soft drink, but as of January 2012, the mood seems to have changed in Texas. The Texas founded, Texas grown soda bottler received, what many Texans felt, was the "boot" when the first Dr Pepper bottling plant was taken to court and sued by The Dr Pepper/Snapple Group Inc. and was perceived to be run out of business by the interloping Snapple group, who are the current owners of Dr Pepper and the Dr Pepper formula.
Dublin Dr Pepper fans have Facebooked, Tweeted, and commented on news reports, shouting out their support for Dublin Dr Pepper and shaking a verbal finger at the Goliath DPS (Dr Pepper Snapple) for taking down their beloved historic Texas icon and degrading the purity of a Texas tradition, drinking Dr Pepper. And many Tweeters and Facebookers also recognized the impact to the small Texas town of Dublin, who may actually be the hardest hit by this take-down of one of their main employers and tourist attractions, lets face it, no offense to Dublin, but outside Dublin Dr Pepper, there was not much reason to stop in the little town. Texans don't like cannonballs being lobbed at one of their own small towns and there has been outcries of "Remember the Alamo".
It can be said that there are always two sides to every story, but when a multi-billion dollar corporation attacks one of its own who, according to reports, appears to have only equaled a tiny 1% of the corporations sales, then there really is only one side. Can you blame the homeowner for the robbery of their home, because the homeowner "foolishly" owned some nice things? Can you blame the homeowner for surrendering and letting the robbers walk off with their nice things, when the robber pulls a gun? In today's business world, when billion dollar corporate executives put a small business in their sights, they have only to pull the trigger, it's that simple, there's no place to run, no place to hide. However, did DPS shoot themselves in the foot by mistake? Many people are outraged by what they see as the bug-squashing mentally of DSP, but only time will tell if the small business loyalist stick to their boycott guns or accept another inevitable takeover by big business.
Mr. Kloster passed away a number of years ago, so he did not have to see his beloved Dublin Dr Pepper plant be dismantled, on a cold winters day, when DSP Group representatives strode into town and hauled off everything Dublin Dr Pepper. Dublin Dr Pepper died as graceful a death as possible, but don't write off the new generation of Kloster family owners, they are not quitters. A positive tune is humming loudly at the new Dublin Bottling Works as they make plans for aggressively bottling Triple XXX Root Beer, Nugrape, and other pure-cane sugar recipe soft drinks. Dublin Bottling Works also still has what is probably the best Dr Pepper museum collection in the world, and their ever popular Old Doc's Soda Shop is still open for refreshments and souvenirs.
A hundred news stories and articles can never express what Dublin Dr Pepper meant to the owners, employees, towns folk, and average Texan who just loved Dublin Dr Pepper. This video reaches into the collective soul of Dublin Dr Pepper lovers.
| A hundred news stories and articles can never express what Dublin Dr Pepper meant to the owners, employees, towns folk, and average Texans who just loved Dublin Dr Pepper. This video reaches into the collective soul of Dublin Dr Pepper lovers. |
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Dublin Bottling Works
What's New With Dublin Bottling Works. ADP (After Dr Pepper) Articles
Dublin Bottling Works may start a new trend, like micro beer breweries, micro soda bottlers may begin popping up all across the country. Wouldn't that be grand!
Dallas Observer Blogs - Dr Pepper Be Damned, Dublin Bottling Works is Striking Back Against Big Soda
KXAN - Dublin Bottling Co. Boss Visits Austin - (YouTube Version)
Lawsuit
Dallas Observer - Articles and One with Counter-Lawsuit Documents
LexisNexis Summary - Original Dr Pepper Snapple Group complaint and a PDF link to the original DPSG complaint papers.
Law.Justia.com - Dr Pepper Snapple Group Original Complaint
Law.Justia.com - Dublin Dr Pepper Answer and Counterclaims
Law.Justia.com - Dockets & Filings
Dallas Observier Blog - Sumation of counter-suit. - Dublin Dr Pepper Responds to Corporate HQ's Lawsuit With Quite the Legal History Lesson.
Excerpt from (above) Observer article/Counter-suit:
"...when corporate began selling its cane-sugar anniversary Pepper products last year, it began ripping off the Dublin's designs long used for its cans -- and, of course, began using something close to the original recipe. Writes Wolens, that's when things changed:"
"In short, Corporate Dr Pepper has attempted to reap the benefit of Dublin Dr Pepper's hard work over the past several decades. More importantly, and given Corporate Dr Pepper's recent foray into making Dr Pepper with sugar (albeit a blended beet sugar), it is apparent that this suit was not brought to protect the public (who is not confused about anything Dublin Dr Pepper has done) or independent bottlers. Rather, it is likely that Corporate Dr Pepper simply wants to eliminate Dublin Dr Pepper from, or severally limit its ability to be in the market for Dr Pepper made with sugar, a market that Dublin Dr Pepper has created and maintained for the past several decades."
Newspaper, Magazine and Online Articles
Yahoo!
MSN Money
Gizmodo
The Wall Street Journal
Canoe.ca Travel
Bloomberg
GrouchyMuffin
Chron.com - Demise of Local Dr Pepper Brand Worries TexasTtown
Weatherford Democrat - Local Cafe Stops Serving Dr Pepper In Protest
AllBusiness - Dr Pepper Snapple files lawsuit against Dr Pepper Bottling
Blogs
The Whimsical World of Winston - An Open Letter to Larry Young, CEO and Bungler-in-Chief of Dr Pepper
TotalSpectrum - Little Dublin Dr. Pepper and Big Ole Snapple: Which brand won?
TV News Reports
WFFA - TV - Dublin's tearful farewell to Dr Pepper - Interview with Jeff Kloster
NBC DFW - Several News Stories - One with Interview with Jeff Kloster
FOX 4 NEWS - Dublin Dr Pepper Fountains Running Dry - Restaurant interviews.
CBS DFW - Dublin Dr Pepper Fans Furious At Corporation
NBC DFW - Dublin Dr Pepper Is No More
KXAN - TV - Dr Pepper says goodbye to Dublin
KTXS TV - Dublin Dr Pepper Sells Its Last Case Of Dr Pepper Soda
Fox 4 News
Dublin Dr Pepper Is No More
Dr Pepper Sues Dublin Bottler
Dublin Dr Pepper Vows to Continue Production Despite Lawsuit
CBS DFW
Fans Rise Up In Protest To Try And Save Dublin Dr Pepper
End Of The Line For Bottling ‘Dublin’ Dr Pepper
Lawsuit: Dublin Dr Pepper Not What Doctor Ordered
WFAA -TV
Photos
Business News
Bye-Bye Dublin Dr Pepper
Customers Snag Dublin Dr Pepper
Business New Dublin Dr Pepper
Instant Live 8
Dublin Dr Peppers Last Sand Sculpture
Business Dublin
Dublin Bottler Faces Challenge of Selling New Sodas.
NBC DFW
Chef Jon Bonnell Joins Dr Pepper Boycott
Searching for the Last Dublin Dr Pepper
Dublin Dr Pepper Sets Up Legal Defense Fund
Dublin Rallies Around Local Dr Pepper
Dublin Rallies Around Hometown Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper Sues Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper Family Feud Heats Up
Larry Young, president of Dr Pepper Snapple, said in a 2009 interview with KERA-TV that, "The amazing thing with Dublin is they still have the pure cane sugar. It's the original formula with Imperial sugar, and their following is unbelievable. Nothing tastes better when it's ice-cold."
Food Related Sources
Alton Brown's Tweet: Dear Texas, Go buy all the Dublin Dr. Pepper you can, while you can. Then go out and shoot a bottle of Snapple.
FoodBeast
Social Media Sources, Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook
You don't have to be a member of Facebook to read these open Facebook pages.
Support Dublin Dr Pepper Page
Boycott Dr Pepper
Boycott Dr Pepper's Petty Corporate Greed
Occupy Dr Pepper/Snapple
Dublin Dr Pepper
Soda Spectrum Magazine - Soda eMagazine
Weatherford Downtown Cafe - Stops Serving Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper/Snapple Facebook - Just click on "View All Comments" under subjects.
Twitter
Alton Brown's Tweet
Petitions & Complaints
Change.org - Most Popular Petition
Change.org - List of Petitions
ComplaintNow - Dublin Dr Pepper Closing
Other Sources
History
Wikipedia - Dublin Dr Pepper
Items For Sale
Dublin Bottle Works Gift Shop
Atomic Jukebox Web - Boycott Posters & Wooden Nickels
Interesting Dublin Dr Pepper Articles
AllBusiness - Sugar makes Dr Pepper special from Dublin, Texas (Note 20 case limit mentioned in the article.)
Lone Star Adventure: Dublin Dr Pepper
Dublin Dr Pepper Wins The Golden Local
Soda Fans Say Sugar Is the Sweetest Thing
Dallas News - Dr Pepper plant planning its 120th birthday party
Texas Twisted - The Dublin Dr Pepper Plant
AllBusiness - Oldest Dr Pepper plant, Dublin proud to celebrate 119 years
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.
Dr Pepper/SnappleGroup Inc.
Dr Pepper
AllBusiness - Dr Pepper orders sugar for 125th anniversary (DPSG)
Stock Quotes for DPS - Dr Pepper/Snapple
MarketWatch
DailyFinance
LocalizedUSA - Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) Analysts Downgrade Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) Shares to “Market Perform"
Videos
"A Big Fan of Small" Dublin Dr Pepper Rally!
Tribute Video to Dublin Dr Pepper at WFAA by uncletubby3386
Sentiments for rural America. YouTube (Thanks to Robert for this suggestion):
Alan Jackson - Little Man
Sentiment for Mr Kloster. He wasn't a farmer, like in the song, but he was a small town, southern business man, as southern, polite, and sincere as they come. YouTube:
Alan Jackson - Small Town Southern Man
Statue of Bill Kloster
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