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Dublin Dr Pepper

Dublin Dr Pepper

            Put Dr Pepper in any other bottle and it’s Plain O (Plano) sugar water, but put it in a Dublin Dr Pepper bottle and it becomes a magic elixir worthy of its 10, 2 and 4 dosage instructions.

            However, the godfather of all Plain O sweet drinks declared, “Enough! We’ve got to protect the integrity of our trademark. How dare Dublin keep putting their name on those little bottles! Who do they think they are, anyway! Just because they’ve had it all to themselves for 121 years, they think they have a right to it. I’m tired of them rubbing their success in our faces -- we need to show them who’s boss: We’ll sue them.”

            Last June the boys from back east filed a lawsuit against Dublin Dr Pepper in federal court. Dr Pepper-Snapple Group (DPS) alleged that Dublin was selling Dr Pepper beyond the 44-mile radius territory designated in its franchise agreement. At the time of this agreement, back in the 1920s, Dublin could have asked for a larger area, but at that time a 44-mile circle seemed awfully big for Dublin’s little plant. The suit also sought to end what it said was the bottler’s “unauthorized use” of the term “Dublin Dr Pepper” on product packaging and on other merchandise. DPS asked the court to terminate its licensing agreement with Dublin Dr Pepper and to prevent sales of the beverage on Dublin Dr Pepper’s website and via its toll-free number. It should be noted that at one time the corporate fathers had approved the use of “Dublin Dr Pepper” on cans and bottles.

            The Dublin company began selling Dr Pepper in Texas in 1891 and has enjoyed a good run at it. Business was good in its territory, but when 800 phone numbers and the internet became such good purchasing partners, business literally boomed. The Dublin management had to limit customer orders to only 20 cases. The drink was so popular that people traveled to Dublin from all over Texas, the nation, and even foreign countrys to purchase a supply of their favorite beverage.

            One would naturally think that the parent would be proud of Dublin’s success. Dublin was never a threat to the financial well-being of the Plano-based giant. Dublin Dr Pepper, with about $7 million in annual revenue, sold less than one tenth of one percent of Dr Pepper’s $5 billion annual sales. The big guy from Plano today controls a portfolio of brands that includes Sunkist soda, Mott’s Apple juice and Snapple tea. So what was under the saddle blanket that gave Plano’s ride such discomfort?

            Since Plano isn’t saying anything outside their allegations of wrongdoing against Dublin, they could have been unhappy with the success Dublin was having by the continued use of the two alleged infractions. Historically, big Dr Pepper has not had the same success over the long haul as Dublin.

            Dr Pepper became insolvent in the 1980s, prompting an investment group to take the company private. Sometime later the same company acquired Seven Up from Phillip Morris. About the same time Coca-Cola attempted to acquire Dr Pepper but was blocked from doing so by the Federal Trade Commission.

            Twice, in 1951 and 1972, Dr Pepper sued Coca-Cola for selling their colas for a nickel and for trademark infringement over “Peppo” and  “Dr. Pibb” names. Finally, Mr. Pibb was approved.

            Over the years the two companies had a good working relationship. For those at Dr Pepper who knew and remembered Billie Kloster, from the time he was an employee to when he was the owner of Dublin Dr Pepper, there were no complaints -- nothing but respect, admiration and cooperation. However, those days and those people are gone, replaced by a new group of savvy business people, who know only one thing-- the bottom line rules. There can be no give and take; Dublin cannot be allowed to prosper at daddy’s expense. Buying them out will eventually allow Plano to have 100 percent of the pie, so that makes the acquisition good business. For Dublin and the 18 men and women who lost their jobs, that’s tough luck -- just the cost of doing business.

            Understandably, the folks in Dublin were demoralized when they first heard the news. At a meeting Tuesday at the “new” Dublin Bottling Works, there was a different, more positive attitude taking over. As a group, the employees and townspeople decided to let go of their hostility and move forward.

            What’s done is done, Dr Pepper is gone, but they still have Dublin Bottling Works and several drinks to bottle and sell, virtually anywhere they like. Dr Pepper took away all those restrictions when they purchased all things Dr Pepper, leaving Dublin free to do business as usual, just without their famous drink.

            “The meeting was upbeat,” said Karen Wright, director of the Dublin Economic Development Corporation. “Folks said there is no use being negative about all this, there is a lot to be positive about. We still have some great drinks to market. If we get behind them and push them like we have Dr Pepper all these years, we’ll be okay. Our trademark beverage is gone but its history is not.”

            Dublin Bottling Works (the original name of the plant when it was formed in 1891) will produce Triple XXX Root Beer, Big Red, Nu Grape, as well as some others previously bottled at Dublin. Things are looking up already in Dublin.

            If the folks in Dublin can feel this positive, so can we. If we like corporate’s sugar Dr Pepper, go ahead and buy it. But when there’s a choice between Dr Pepper and Triple XXX Root Beer, Big Red or Nu Grape we can choose. As for me, I like a root beer float.

            By the way, in case anyone has wondered why I kept leaving off the period after Dr --  it wasn’t a mistake. The period (full stop) after “Dr” was discarded for stylistic and legibility reasons in the 1950s.