Dublin Dr Pepper Fans Furious At Corporation

By Kent Chapline, CBSDFW.COM

January 12, 2012 12:37 PM

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Business, Consumer, Local, News, Syndicated Local, Watch + Listen

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Dr. Pepper, Dublin, Dublin Dr Pepper, plano

UPDATED at 3:15 p.m.

PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - There’s a war happening online, and Dr Pepper is losing.

Wednesday, we reported that the Plano company is buying the bottling operations of Dr Pepper Bottling Company of Dublin, which was the company’s oldest still-operating bottler.

The move puts an end to Dublin Dr Pepper, a cane sugar version of the soda that the small bottler produced for a century. Sugar-sweetened Dr Pepper will still be sold, but the Dublin bottler won’t produce it and it won’t carry the Dublin name.

Now consumers are telling Dr Pepper Snapple Group exactly what they think of the deal.

It’s not pretty.

Hundreds and maybe thousands of people are attacking the company on Facebook and Twitter.

Here’s a screenshot from the company’s Facebook page, taken shortly after noon Thursday (click picture for full-size version):

screen shot 2012 01 12 at 12 19 20 pm Dublin Dr Pepper Fans Furious At Corporation

A screenshot of Dr Pepper's Facebook page. (Photo credit Facebook.com)

Many commenters are accusing the company of deleting negative Facebook posts on its page.

And someone created an “Occupy Dr Pepper” Facebook page in support of the Dublin bottler.

As of ~~noon~~ 3:15 p.m. Thursday, the company had not responded to the negative posts, either on Facebook or Twitter.

The company’s stock price was down .71% at 12:27 p.m.

We contacted Dr Pepper Snapple Group for a comment about the backlash ~~but they have not yet responded~~.

UPDATE: The company responded with an email shortly before 2 p.m, but they did not address the backlash. Here is their entire statement, from spokesman Greg Artkop:

We will continue to produce and sell Dr Pepper with cane sugar, as we have for years.

The Dublin bottler contracted with a bottler in Temple to manufacture Dr Pepper with cane sugar. Temple in fact produced virtually all of the bottled product sold by Dublin, as well as the cane sugar product that DPS sells in DFW, Houston and Waco.

So when a Dr Pepper fan finds Dr Pepper with cane sugar at a local store, it will be the same product they’ve always purchased. It will still be bottled and canned in distinct, nostalgic packaging. The only difference is it will not reference Dublin on the label.

We asked Artkop for an on-camera interview, but he declined. However, he did talk on-air to KRLD’s Emily Trube — but here again, he didn’t address the intense online backlash. Listen to the interview:

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Also Check Out:

Dublin Dr Pepper Fans Furious At Corporation

D

i just emailed this to my address book…
this is what I emailed to dr pepper. they closed the dublin plant and stopped production. it’s no big deal for most of us. but this was a destructive selfish act. there was no need to put dozens of small town people out of work. this all made me sad and i just wanted to share. so if you come to my house… leave the dr pepper home.
love – me

You had to know these kinds of emails were coming. I came into my office this morning and talking over coffee, found out you executed the Dublin plant. The start of it all. The museum, the original. Basically you slaughtered your parent. I grew up around here. When we were young… coke was how we described soda. “you want a coke?” “yeah” “what kind?” “dr pepper” Dr. Pepper was a part of us. We never would have killed a part of our family. Today. Dr. pepper is no longer welcome in my home. No one will bring it in and it will not be purchased. This will make no never mind to you. But for me and the principal that you would have done this to this small town, that you were so greedy that you would destroy history and lives… you are now poison to me.

Oy Vey

What a catalyst for change you are. Kudos!

Nick

boo hoo — mr. pibb tastes better anyway…

Kolby Richardson

Most of the time i to each their own but it doesn’t.
Brad Leese

Mr. Pibb? Nasty!

Nick

there are many soft drinks better tasting than dr. pepper — mr. pibb is but one of them…

Elise Stockwell

Everybody has their own tastesnaps. I personlayy think Dr Pepper tastes better! I am not happy with Dr Pepper/Snapple for doing what they did, though and sent them a couple messages through their website saying so

Angela

You know I don’t know if I’m alone in this but to me the blame lies squarely on Dublin’s shoulders. Dr Pepper owns Dr Pepper. They sell production rights to various locations. They chose to respect the tradition of the plant in Dublin. To allow then to produce Dr Pepper marked as ‘Made in Dublin’ and to sell it in a certain area. But at some point this wasn’t enough. They decided to start labelling things “Dublin Dr Pepper” (see the sign above), to sell them all over the place, well outside the agreed area and to sell it online. What did they think was going to happen? Where they suprised that they were told if they couldn’t stick to the contract they would lose it? Now instead of having it as a local specialty we don’t have it at all. Thanks, Dublin.

Steve Holland

Angela, who do you work for? Your posting is dubious at best. It absolutely smacks of a branded counter campaign. Blame the victim. Classic.

Dr. Pepper sells billions-upon-billions of units annually. Dublin Dr. Pepper sold perhaps a few hundred-thousand, maybe a million in a good year. The real issue is about GREED. Its about corporate monoliths more focused on pennies than common sense. Dublin represented, at best, a minor rounding error to the corporation.

Dublin Dr. Pepper was a halo brand. For decades, it was considered the premier form of Dr. Pepper within Texas and the southwest. Your dealing with a brand that is part of Texas culture and lore. Killing it is an affront to Texan’s everywhere.

A wiser solution would have been to co-opt the brand and allow its wider distribution.

Personally, I will never buy their products again. From the looks of it, I’m not alone.

Elise Stockwell

I agree that they should have allowed a wider distribution. I think they woul have made even more profit from it because it was special due to the fact that the bottles say ‘Dublin Dr Pepper’ on them.

Nick

angela is correct. dublin was doing just fine until THEY got GREEDY and wanted to rebrand their sugar version as “dublin dr. pepper” and start selling it outside an agreed upon area. sorry steve — not falling for the evil corporation tactics. dublin blew it. they only have themselves to blame…

Steve Holland

Really?

For 120 years Dr. Pepper was very happy with the arrangement they had with Dublin. Only in the last 90 days did that change. Why?

Dublin was a halo brand that differentiated Dr. Pepper from the competitive set. They now have lost this asset. The public is outraged. The brand is not listening or responding to its customers, except it appears to blame Dublin. Do you really think that is going to work?

Combine the economic conditions + public perception of the Dublin brand + and the classic big versus small, and you have a real mess on your hands. Again, was it worth it to the corporation?

Your response, just like that of Angela’s, is really curious. Sounds like quick response talking points to me, issued by a clueless PR agency up to its neck in hot water and a brand that really didn’t think this through before acting.
Nick

gee, steve — blow things out of proportion much?

if you read the story, it says the dublin plant is not closing, they bottle other drinks, and dr. pepper will continue to sell the sugar cane sweetened drink in temple — there just won’t be a dublin brand name attached to it. big loss.

and i bet they made some agreement with the temple bottler that they can’t start branding it as “temple dr. pepper”. unauthorized rebranding is what got the dublin people in trouble and it’s their own fault. but it’s nice to know some texans don’t care about rules and laws — as long as they get their sodey pop!
James Weisinger

but you know what, this can also be Dr Peppers Fault because until recently there was a link to dublin dr pepper. and people wanted it. its about history, its park of what makes texas, well, Texas.. they didnt try to sell it out of area because as someone on the customer service line told me, there are other DP plants that sell the same version. Dublin is just known because it still uses Imperial PURE CANE SUGAR and was the original formula for dr pepper
Nick

well, apparently the court thought dublin was “more” in the wrong than the parent company. i still say pibb beats any kind of pepper.
Kolby Richardson

Nick Dr. Pepper/Snapple has more money to waste the tax payers money in court than the small Dublin Dr. Pepper co. So basically they pull the small company into court which they have to pay for and one of two things happens. Dublin cont. to fight in court and wins but is bankrupt, or they settle either way it is a lose lose for the small company. Get it.
Nick

no, kolby — dublin lost the case because they were IN THE WRONG. it’s that simple…
Brad Leese

I agree with Steve and want to add this… There are too many large companies now days making decisions based on greed rather than thinking things out first and asking their customers, you know those that actually make their company and jobs possible. Now it’s Dr. Pepper, before it was Netflix, Bank of America and way too many more to list here… Your customers are your biggest asset! If anything Dr. Pepper should have made the Dublin brand a “Premium”, heck I would have paid a few cents more for it to say Dublin. I grew up in Stephenville, a few miles away from Dublin and enjoyed many trips to the Dublin plant. Dr. Pepper needs to understand, it’s not the taste it’s the nostalgia. They took away something that can not simply be relocated, it has to stay where it is or it isn’t the same anymore and therefore just a memory. Why buy pure cane sugar Dr. Pepper if it doesn’t carry the Dublin name, the name that made IT famous?
Nick

brad — i think you overstate dublin’s importance. before the 80s, most soft drinks were still sweetened by sugar instead of corn syrup. so you’re talking maybe 30 years that dublin dr. pepper has even been unique in that regard.
Scott Williams

Nick, Dublin did not lose any case. Both the lawsuit and the counter lawsuit we dismissed, so there was no ruling. Dr Pepper bought out the sales and distribution rights of the Dublin plant. You think they would have spent the money it would take to buy them out if they thought they would win the case? Dr Pepper was referring others from around the country to the Dublin website and their phone number to purchase Dublin Dr Pepper knowing that Dublin was on the name and that those person’s were outside of the distribution area. So they were not against it until they saw it was getting more popular and they wanted to take it over.
Nick

oh, you’re right, scott, dublin did not lose the case. dublin had their case thrown out because it was found to have no merit — which, uh, effectively means, uhhh, that they lost their case — but thanks for clearing that up…

David

Unless Dr Pepper Snapple’s conditions for remaining a distributor were more than just adhering to their agreement, then Dublin was very short-sighted as they not only hurt themselves by having to lay workers off, but the whole town of Dublin.

Steve Holland

David, again… For 120 years Dr. Pepper was very happy with the arrangement they had with Dublin. Only in the last 90 days did that change.

I’m curious, have you read the agreement? Do you know the details? Were you present in the negotiations? I was not. I just know this, were talking about sugar water here. Consumers have a ton of choices, was the cost of working a bit longer with Dublin greater than the fire storm that has resulted?

This is a total train wreck that corporate Doctor Pepper could have avoided. They deserve what they are going to get as a result.
Nick

i guess when steve holland signs a contract or enters into an agreement, he thinks he can break the rules and do as he pleases with no repercussions — kinda like what dublin bottling company did. hmmmmm…
David

I don’t believe Dublin has been selling their product on the internet for 120 years in violation of their sales territory agreement and as far as I know putting Dublin in the Dr Pepper logo. This disagreement has been going on for a lot more than 90 days, maybe a year or two. It just finally came to a head in the last 90 days.
David

No I have not read the agreement, but it was reported and common knowledge that distributors are normally given a defined sales territory. I seem to recall mention in the past that the territory was a 40 mile radius, but it was reported to be the surrounding 8(?) counties. Also, licensed distributors are not supposed to modify trademarked logos, like putting Dublin in the Dr Pepper logo.

Now if Dr Pepper Snapple was demanding Dublin do more than honor their agreement then they are obviously at fault. However, if all Dublin had to do was quit selling outside their territory and remove the Dublin from the Dr Pepper containers they sell, then I think Dublin is at fault, and maybe even being a little arrogant. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dublin DP, go out of my way to get it, and will sorely miss it, but that doesn’t mean I condone breaking a legal agreement.
Kolby Richardson

David do you know how long the Dublin has been in the name?

Angela

@Steve Nah Dr Pepper corps been pretty quite on it. I’m from Plano but I’ve never worked for them. I’ve been to Dublin and I drove there to get my stuff. But I’m someone who believes in following the rules. I knew that they were only allowed in a certain area and started noticing them showing up in Dallas a little while back. First places like Central Market and then more and more commonly. I wondered how they were doing it and though that Dr Pepper had expanded their area. And as for 90 days check your facts. The lawsuit alone has been going on since June. Now I can’t get it even if I drive there. But I don’t think that’s Dr Pepper’s fault.
Brad Leese

Angela, you are obviously not a “local” as you would know in Texas without the Dublin name, Dr. Pepper isn’t any better than drinking Mr. Pibb or Dr. B from HEB. And with taste aside, when a brand get’s so popular that PAYING CUSTOMERS outside a designated area want to buy that brand the company producing it with rights or not, would have to be a fool not to get it to them anyway they could. Dr. Pepper’s decision to close the regular operations in Dublin aren’t Dublin’s fault. The fact remains that Dr. Pepper has made plenty of money off the name Dublin and “Pure Cane Sugar” being on it’s label as without those two known symbols Dr. Pepper just isn’t worth buying! At least that’s how so many of us in TEXAS feel.

Do you work for Dr. Pepper? Sure sounds like it…if you do, my suggestion is to go buy some wadders, a bucket and a big shovel ’cause Dr. Pepper will have some major clean up to do after all this is over!

Nick

sorry, brad — the only people who care are you texans. the rest of the 49 are just fine with dr. pepper maintaining control over their trademarks and agreements. facebook and twitter all you want, dr. pepper won the case. buh bye.

kimmie

Most corporations would love to have an icon like Dublin DP was here in Texas. But, no, they had to shoot a symbol of what their brand (used to) stand for–small, unique, quirky. So, they have now lost my 2 purchases of Dublin DP a year, and my entire family’s daily Diet DP and Snapple habits. I had my first diet coke in a long while today, and there’ll be many, many more.

Elise Stockwell

@Nick- Texans aren’t the only ones that care. I live in Western Washington and I care! I have a trip planned in March going to Texas and one of the stops I am making is in Dublin, spcificalliny to tour the “Dublin Dr Peppr” plant. I have my greyhoun tickets and hotel reservations already too. Now, that part of my trip will be ruined, because the plant is no longer named “Dublin Dr Pepper” bottling plant!! I was all excited about finally getting to see it and now it’s a big letdown because the name won’t be the same. There’s a lot of history that generations from now won’t have a chance to get to know

Bruce Call

Done with the Soda Jerk Dr. Pepper. Put the original plant down so you could take over the product and market share. Bad business boys!!!!!!!
David

Nick, you must be a yankee transplant.

I agree with Angela. The Dublin plant was violating its agreement. Unless they thought they could not survive financially without their agreement-violating internet sales then they could have ceased and desist their out-of-territory sales and Dublin labeling and probably remained a Dr. Pepper distributor. Now instead of 75%(?) of something, they have 100% of nothing.

Nick

davey, actually i’m from florida, but that has nothing to do with me preferring mr. pibb over dr. pepper. i didn’t realize living in the second largest state in the union required me to make some kind of oath to dublin, despite their production of an inferior tasting product.

if you must know, my favorite drinks are kutztown sarsaparilla and birch beer — then most root beers, then mr. pibb, then maybe dr. pepper if i’m not in the mood for a coca-cola…

Kevin H

Does Florida even have Dublin Dr Pepper? How can you rank Dublin Dr Pepper to your taste buds if you’ve never tasted it? It boils down to BIG company limiting smaller company’s market and then eliminating smaller company.
David

You don’t have to take an oath to Dublin. It’s just that most native Texans naturally feel an allegiance to Dr Pepper, especially the Dublin version, which is closer to the original. I confess that I was not that big of a DP fan until I moved out of state for a few years and yearned for that taste of home.
Nick

hey kevin — i never said i haven’t tasted it. i just said i’m not a yankee transplant. try to pay attention…

oh, and what it actually boils down to is — small company originally agreed to big company limiting small company’s market. problem arose when small company got too big for its britches — as you texans like to say…
Kolby Richardson

Nick go drink your coke and leave the conversation.
Nick

hey everybody, meet kolby — the dublin apologist of the day!
Rick James B!

Hey Nick, go suck on a Cadbury…!

WDB

I am appalled to think that I called American Airlines when I could no longer get a Dr. Pepper on their flights unless it was on the regional carrier American Eagle. I actually avoided AA if possible because of this and now I will avoid Dr. Pepper. Plano hoity-toityism at its finest. You obviously could care less about your roots and must have forgotten after a hundred years that this little bottling company was offered any area they wanted, and they chose a small area around their plant. Why should the introduction of the internet affect a hundred year old business? Could anyone care less about ordering any other soft drink off of the internet? Please cease calling yourself Texans, because this isn’t how we act down here. Your CEO used to drive a Pepsi truck. No wonder he thinks a plant that only runs once a month is damaging the company.

Nick

this is what happens when the dublin-ites get greedy and don’t hold up their end of the agreement. i didn’t think texans were supposed to do that. aw, so sad….

James Weisinger

your from Florida, what the heck do you know about Dublin dr pepper, because as you said in an earlier post “I havent tasted it” so since you never tasted it you can never know how different it is and you sure as hell can not compare it to the stuff that is labled dr pepper today. Dublin dr pepper was made with IMPERIAL PURE CANE SUGAR. which is the way it was originally made. Not how its bottled today
Nick

hey james — i was telling someone else i NEVER SAID i haven’t tasted it — it’s called a double negative — dolt. anyway, as i said before i have tasted it, and it’s way down the list of tasty soft drinks. i understand some of you texans are biased — that’s why you need people like me to tell you the truth.

David

That’s interesting because I thought it was the other way around because American Eagle is a contractor to AA. I got Dr Pepper on both my AA fights to and from NY last month.

Nick

what i find interesting is the guy actually chooses his air carrier based on what drinks they serve…
WDB

David,

It was a few years back. Now Dr. Pepper is available on both again.

ByteMe

“Why should the introduction of the Internet affect a hundred year old business?”

Do you mean like how the introduction of the Internet (Napster and iTunes) revolutionized the music industry? Think before you type, moron.

Brianna

This is a link for those of you who wish to sign the petition.
http://www.change.org/petitions/plano-tx-allow-dublin-dr-pepper-bottling-co-to-continue-operations

Nick

i clicked on it and it said i have just won an iphone!

Brianna

Works for me.
kimmie

Works for me too. Thanks!

Tim Elmore

Usually corporations that take over some popular brand, leave it in tact. Well the Dr Pepper/Snapple group has blown it bad. Why could you not work with Dublin Dr. Pepper? The reason is that you are so da*n greedy and can’t stand the fact that a little city cut into THEIR business. Dublin is a great place with wonderful people, and just a plain no frills little town. Plano know that I for one WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING IN YOUR CITY AGAIN. I resent you and hate you. You used to be a city on the rise but now due to your problems with religion at Christmas and now this destroying something that was success ful, YOU do not deserve my business. I think that everyone that loves the Dublin Dr. Pepper should boycott every business and event in your city and if enough of them do it, you might reinstate Dublin Dr. Pepper. Own the rights but leave our Dublin Dr. Pepper as it is.

Nick

uhhhhh, tim — you do know dublin’s sugar cane came from china, right?

Steve Holland

The sugar is from Louisiana.

Whats next? Your talking points are out of date.
Nick

oh darn — you caught me, mr. steve holland! i admit it — i work for corporate dr. pepper and you were right. we just couldn’t stand seeing dublin do well. the fact that they broke their agreement had nothing to do with it.
Tim Elmore

No I did not know that the sugar came from China. I just know that everytime I visited my parents or sister that I would stop in and buy cases of the product. I will sure miss doing it.
Nick

tim — try ebay

Shelby

Do not blame the City of Plano. I live in Plano and am just as upset as you are. Blame those responsible – Dr. Pepper Snapple

Steve Holland

I really didn’t think that corporate Dr. Pepper could mess this up anymore than they have. I was wrong. Their recent statement drove me to a local 7-Eleven to buy a Coke.

Do you not get it… people want the label to say Dublin Dr. Pepper!

Maybe we should say, Apple made by Microsoft, or maybe Chevy made by Cherry (The Chinese auto company).

It’s NOT your brand. It’s the consumer’s. Don’t believe me, look around!

Nick

hey steve, go get yourself a whataburger and a downhome sweet tea and relax…

Steve Holland

classic response: personal attacks to deflect from the issue
Nick

there’s nothing to seriously reply to when you say things like “it’s not your brand. it’s the consumer’s”. wow. i mean, it’s obvious you’ve never created or developed a product, or you would never say something so inane.
Steve Holland

Try again Nick. History will disagree with you.

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2010/06/chevy_or_chevrolet_who_cares.html

The fact is, GM may legally own its brand names, but the company doesn’t own the Chevrolet or Chevy names in the popular imagination. Not here, not overseas. The brand’s customers and fans do.
Nick

popular imagination, huh? that’s great steve — so do this for me then — use your IMAGINATION when you buy a temple, tx bottled, sugar cane flavored dr. pepper and IMAGINE it says dublin on it when you take a drink. it will taste exactly the same and the good folks of temple will thank you kindly for your support.

David

Actually, I don’t care if Dublin is on the label or not because it was not on there until recently – maybe the last few years. I actually preferred it without because you had to be “in the know” that the Imperial Pure Cane Sugar label is what gave it away that it was Dublin DP.

Erin

Well, I’ve seen other Dr Pepper products in the stores in the past few years that have imperial cane sugar labeled on it, but it wasn’t Dublin. Maybe the Dublin label was put to distinguish?

These products, btw, are in cans or plastic bottles.

Sherry

Your corporate greed will come back to bite you!

Nick

said the person who’s never run a successful business…

DDT

Touche.

Steve Holland

Nick:
“Do I blow things out of proportion much” you ask? It really depends. There is thing called “History” and “Culture”. It’s why some folks in Texas love the Cowboys – even when they lose. For some people like me, Dublin Dr. Pepper is part of my Texas experience. It’s gone now.

There is another reason as well. It pains me to see good companies really fowl things up and become, well, bad.
Nick

leave the cowgirls out of this…

Steve Holland

Your a troll. Nothing more.

Nick

i would appreciate you not spewing personal attacks just because i disagree with you. thanks…

oh, and it’s “you’re”, not “your”. stay in school, sonny…
Tim Elmore

I am a troll? I am a well educated person and just because YOU do not agree with me is no reason to attack me. I stated my opinion and my opinion only. You must live in Plano?
Tim Elmore

I said nothing about cowgirls so get the right person before you begin any attacks on me.
Grow Up You Insecure Metrosexuals

Wiener measuring contest, anyone? Think any of them will even be over 3 inches?

Nick

tim — you may want to consider re-evaluating the way you currently determine which comments are directed at you. i would suggest in the future only replying to comments that begin with “tim”. just a thought…
Brad

Never get in the way of Texas pride.

Nick

what happens if i do?

Brad

Sorry to say this is not about you Nick so get over yourself. It’s about the bad PR Dr. Pepper Snapple has generated.

Nick

so you’re saying texas is proud that dublin reneged on thier agreement? all hail the mighty state, blah blah blah…

Idiocracy

What a sad commentary on today’s American society when this is the most commented on story for today. No wonder we keep voting for the same types of idiots. No wonder the high school dropout rate is what it is. You people are the reason for the fraying of the American social fabric. It’s a SODA, you corpulent ignoramuses! Readjust your priorities!

President Camacho

No kidding. The first commentator on this story actually took the time to email the company and share the email with us. Can you imagine if these losers would actually take that kind of time and use that kind of energy for real change in America? Most of them DO NOT, considering the level of apathy that is seen at the polling locations on Election Day, so I don’t want to hear a bunch of idiots saying, “How do you know they don’t?” I KNOW. THEY DON’T.

By the way, great reference to a prophetic film like Idiocracy.

YourBoss

Weak….very weak. My job here is done.
REALLY?!

What job? Your “job” here never started. Now you’re moving on to Camacho’s statement because you lost the battle with the old grump? You really are a pathetic clown. Go away before you embarrass yourself even more.

YourBoss

Why are you here? Get back to work!

Idiocracy

I’m RETIRED, you imbecile. Some of us have worked hard enough to enjoy that, and others work for themselves, you ASSumptive cretin.
Idiocracy

I’m retired, you imbecile. Some of us are retired and others work for ourselves, you assumptive twit.
Idiocracy

GOOD LORD! What’s with the delay?! I thought I was having certain words filtered. Get a new server and/or comment board service, CBS!
YourBoss

So you’re a bitter old man. Get a life grouchy and show some respect for the town of Dublin and some good ‘ol Texas history.
Idiocracy

See the comment by Atheist Lawyer below and get a clue, genius. By the way, my net worth is more than you could make in five lifetimes, so no, I am NOT at all bitter. In fact, I’m DRUNK from all the Macallan right now, AND I get to sleep through my hangover tomorrow!
No Blends

I applaud your taste in single malt Scotch Whiskey, sir.
YourBoss

I almost choked on my Dublin Dr. Pepper when I read your presumptuous reply. Why are you still here? Re-read your original comment. Shouldn’t you be trolling on political forums? Nothing to see here Grumpy. Perhaps you should watch your favorite movie again and take notes.
You have to pick on old people? Really? That’s pathetic..

You choked on a soft drink rather than your gay lover’s c*ck? That’s a new one.
President Camacho

Nice shot! LOL! By the way YourBoss, exactly why are YOU still here? Hmmm?

David

What a sad commentary on today’s American society that someone feels the need to inject politics into a discussion about sugar water. This comment is from a fellow retiree.

Hitler Lover

David, with all due respect, I think his comment, and Camacho’s, was more about apathy in today’s society, rather than politics specifically.

TXNative

Idiocracy, I think you’re missing part of the point…for many of us it’s less about the soda itself and more about the fact that a long-standing piece of Texas history is getting thrown by the wayside over something as petty as a contract dispute. DP corporate should have found a way to work with and/or re-negotiate terms with the Dublin plant in order to preserve it’s status as the original. It’s something that generations of Texans have grown up with and now it’s gone. I think most of us wouldn’t have even minded if they had simply bought the Dublin plant out and left it intact to do business the way it was. They could have marketed the Dublin DP nationwide as a boutique product and made a killing without all this uproar. Of course, if you feel that an educated, community-minded MBA who sees value in preserving elements of our roots needs to readjust her priorities then that’s your business. Personally I think it’s the disregard for history and the values of simpler times that is the cause of the fraying of the American social fabric. But hey, we’re all corpulent ignoramuses to you who are too focused on soda to grasp what’s really important…

Capitalist Pig

Who’s to say a mediator wasn’t brought in? Protecting a market share isn’t a “petty” contract dispute. I’m all for preserving history, but not at the cost of a business losing revenue, no matter how large or small that business is. Most of you people are bringing emotion into this, which is noble, but it has no place in business. Business and law is a world of rules and facts, not emotion, and for good reason.
Nick

i never thought i would say this, but — i agree with the capitalist pig!
TXNative

Capitalist Pig, I’m sure that mediation was probably involved in the process. What I’m trying to say is that I’m sure that if both parties really wanted to they could have come up with a solution that not only avoided lost revenue but increased it for both parties and left this piece of history intact. What they ended up with is a consumer backlash instead, which often does result in lost revenue, probably for both parties. (Then again, there are those who believe that any PR is good PR.) As for your statement that emotion has no place in business, emotion is one of the major driving forces of business and should not be ignored. All businesses ultimately depend upon sales of products or services to generate revenue, and purchasing behaviors are driven more by emotion than logic. That’s why businesses invest so much time and money and effort into the psychology involved with picking the perfect name, logo, colors, even the feel of the packaging, and of course the marketing campaigns to create the desired emotional response in their target customers that will entice them to buy. Even the stock market is affected by emotional responses. And there are a lot of things that are more important than revenue. The fact that we, as a people, have a tendency to lose sight of that is one of the problems in our country, and played a major role in making our economy the mess that it is. I’m a big fan of capitalism, but capitalism-at-any-cost is short-sighted and stupid.
Nick

right — and i’m sure if one party in particular would have agreed to take dublin off of the dr. pepper logo, they would still be bottling it…

Lakewooder

First they betray their hometown of Dallas by moving to pre-fab Plano and letting their Art Moderne masterpiece headquarters fall to the wrecking ball then they make their products pre-fab. I am done with DP!
DDT

Two If By Tea is a much better product than that swill Snapple produces anyway.

Nick

snapple actually used to make a great clear root beer years ago when rush was advertising for snapple. snapple used to make a lot of great flavors, but they really pared down their product line…

Two If By Tea

Mint Iced Tea – best flavor ever, but now extinct. RIP.
Nick

mmmmm-mint. sounds good — might have to try making my own!

Morris O’Rear

Steve, for 120 years Dr Pepper was fine with the agreement they had with Dublin DP until Dublin DP broke the agreement. The general “greediness” that is attributed to the big corporations is exactly what got Dublin DP into trouble. As their product became more well known they began to sell out of their territory and that popped up on DP’s radar. Dublin should have been more pro-active and sought to change the terms of the agreement instead of trying to cheat the system. Trust me, I will miss their product. I am one of the companies they sold to outside of their territory. But every company, big and greedy or small and loved, has the right to protect agreements entered into with other affiliates.

By the way – it is Chery not Cherry

Morris

Nick

ah, another voice of reason. dublin only has themselves to blame. i thought true texans stood by their word…

Rick Bowen

“Our main focus has always been on protecting the strength and integrity of the Dr Pepper trademark,” said Rodger Collins, president of Dr Pepper Snapple packaged beverages”
You should have thought about the INTEGRITY of the Dr Pepper trademark when you switched from Dr. Pepper’s pure cane sugar roots & started using high fructose corn syrup back in ’82. You didn’t care about Dr. Pepper’s integrity then, did you? Bad PR move? Uh, yeah. Dr. Pepper – “The New Coke of 2012″.
I will never buy a Dr. Pepper/Snapple product ever again.

Nick

THIS JUST IN — based on a mr. rick bowen’s recent comment on a local cbs news website, dr. pepper/snapple has agreed to let dublin bottling works return to producing dublin dr. pepper.

the dr. pepper/snapple ceo was quoted as saying, “yah, we thought we could win the pr war, but when that rick bowen guy said he would never buy one of our products again… it was all over. we had to cave to their demands…”

Dr. Pooper

LOL. Nice.

Atheist Lawyer

Well said. Finally, someone who understands BUSINESS and LEGAL RIGHTS, especially in the area of conflict of interest, etc.!

Atheist Lawyer

That should have gone under Morris’ comment.

sweetxnightmare

Dr Pepper is now welcome to get the f*** out of my home state. I’ve been drinking Dr Pepper since before I can remember, but no more. Guess I’ll have to go with Coke and Pepsi… Can’t believe I just said that, I hate Coke and Pepsi and still prefer them to Dr Pepper now.

I will always remember Dublin Dr Pepper. Sad day to know that, when I have children, I’ll never be able to involve them in that tradition.

Capitalist Pig

They shouldn’t have violated terms regarding sales territories and such. No, I’m not talking about big corporate greed. I’m talking about the greed of a local bottler that wanted a bigger slice of pie. Nobody is paying attention to that part of the story, which is supported by all sorts of legal issues on the side of Dr. Pepper / Snapple.
Nick

no, it’s a sad day when texans care more about nostalgia then holding men to their word…

Colby Bauer

Isn’t Big Red owned by Dr. Pepper? Sorry. I can’t give up my Big Red. I’ve been drinking that since 1977, when I was 7 years old visiting my grandparents in Kerrville. I can’t end that sweet addiction.

Bev Guy

Dr. Pepper and Pepsi are two of its largest distributors. Kind of like how Sam Adams or Dogfish Head beers are handled through Andrews, Ben E. Keith, etc. Big Red is based in Austin and is not owned by Dr. Pepper. All is OK! Drink up without any guilt!
Nick

but it can’t be that good if it’s not sweetened by cane sugar, right? ……..right???

David Bryant

Dublin Dr Pepper was DPSG’s “Diamond in the Rough” and now it’s gone. Just listen to what Larry Young, CEO of Dr Pepper/Snapple Group said about Dublin Dr Pepper a little over 2 years ago during an interview on PBS. It starts at 25:15, but in case you miss it, in part he says “..an 8 oz. glass bottle. There’s nothing tastes better than a Dublin Dr Pepper when it’s ice cold”!! Check it out…

http://video.pbs.org/video/1346204769?starttime=1200000

Nick

it’s not gone — it will still have cane sugar. it just won’t say “dublin” on the bottle anymore. suck it up, texans…

Erin

You have missed the point entirely. This is more about the town of Dublin. Ever been there? Didn’t think so.

This is a very small town, which relied heavily on their bottling plant — BECAUSE of their famous Dr Pepper. People came to visit for tours. This is their livelihood. 70k in visitors a year is nothing to sniff at. And now? They have nothing. The residents of Dublin are hurt, angry and are now wondering what their town has to offer. Yes, they will bottle other drinks, but come on. No one goes to Dublin for anything but Dr Pepper.

I will not be drinking any Dr Pepper products again — and there are a slew of them that I am sad to say they have a hand in. No more Stewart’s or Orangina … or the worst — IBC root beer — for me.