Red Bull

History

In 1976, Thai entrepreneur Chaleo Yoovidhya introduced Krating Daeng, a drink popular among Thai truck drivers and labourers. While working for Blendax in 1982, Dietrich Mateschitz traveled to Thailand, met Chaleo, and found that Krating Daeng helped his jet lag. In 1984, they co-founded Red Bull GmbH, each investing US$500,000. Chaleo and Mateschitz each held 49% of the company, with Chaleo's son Chalerm receiving the remaining 2%; Mateschitz was to run the firm.

The product launched in Austria on 1 April 1987. Red Bull repositioned the drink as a premium, trendy item, first sold at Austrian ski resorts, while Krating Daeng remained a lower-cost option. The flavouring is still produced in Bangkok and exported. During the 1990s, the brand expanded into Hungary, Slovenia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States.

It entered Germany and the UK in 1994, the US via California in 1996, the Middle East in 2000, and the Philippines in 2012. In 2008, Forbes listed both founders as the 250th richest people globally, each with an estimated net worth of US$4 billion. The company is headquartered in Fuschl am See and is 51% controlled by the Yoovidhya family, who own the trademark in Europe and the US for technical reasons. Advertising restrictions were imposed in the UK in 2001 following complaints about the drink's claimed effects.

Ingredients

Red Bull contains varying amounts of caffeine, taurine, B vitamins (B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12), glucuronolactone, and simple sugars (sucrose and glucose) in a buffer solution of carbonated water, sodium bicarbonate, and magnesium carbonate, or in some flavours a trisodium citrate/citric acid buffer. The sugar-free version uses artificial sweeteners acesulfame K and aspartame or sucralose. A 250 ml can has approximately 40–80 mg of caffeine, depending on the country's legal limits. Excessive consumption may cause mild to moderate euphoria, agitation, anxiety, irritability, and insomnia.

Variants

Red Bull began offering variations in 2003, starting with Red Bull Sugarfree, which had a different flavour from the original. In 2012, Red Bull Total Zero, a zero-calorie variant, was released. In 2018, Red Bull Zero, a sugar-free formulation designed to taste more like the original, appeared. A concentrated Energy Shot in 2 oz (60 ml) cans was introduced in 2009.

The Editions line, launched in 2013, initially offered cranberry, blueberry, and lime flavours and has since expanded to include sea blue (juneberry), peach (peach-nectarine), winter (fuji apple-ginger), iced (vanilla berry), pink (raspberry), yellow (tropical berries), coconut (coconut-blueberry), amber (strawberry-apricot), and red (watermelon) flavours, some seasonal or regional. Red Bull released Simply Cola in 2008, and a new version in 2019 as part of the Organics line.

In 2018, Organics by Red Bull launched with four organic soda flavours: bitter lemon, ginger ale, tonic water, and the new Simply Cola.

Legal affairs

France, Denmark, and Norway initially banned Red Bull sales; by 2021, it was sold in all 27 EU member states and 171 countries. The French food safety agency, concerned about taurine, required a taurine-free version. The European Commission challenged France's refusal of market approval, and the European Court of Justice partially upheld that challenge in 2004. France relented in 2008, unable to prove a definite health risk.

In 2013, Red Bull told the Redwell Brewery in Norfolk to change its name, citing potential customer confusion and trademark tarnishment; the two companies later settled, allowing Redwell to keep its name. In 2014, Red Bull entered a US$13 million settlement to resolve two class action lawsuits in the Southern District of New York. The plaintiffs claimed the company falsely asserted performance-enhancing benefits unsupported by scientific studies.

In May 2015, the court approved the settlement, offering customers who filed claims US$10 cash or US$15 in Red Bull products.