PLANO — Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. filed a lawsuit against one of its bottlers Tuesday over what it says are license agreement violations. The beverage maker said Dr Pepper Bottling Co. of Dublin, Texas, is selling Dr Pepper beyond the six-county territory allowed under its license agreement. It also claims the company is wrongfully selling soda with "Dublin Dr Pepper" labeling on packaging and other merchandise. According to the suit, the Dublin company is allowed to sell its soda in Comanche County and parts of Eastland, Erath, Hood, Hamilton and Bosque counties. The suit alleges that Dublin Dr Pepper is being sold, however, elsewhere in Texas and as far away as California. The bottler, according to the company, is marketing a version of Dr Pepper made with cane sugar as "Dublin Dr Pepper." It is one of several bottlers authorized to make the drink with cane sugar, but it is not allowed to modify the name and logo as such on the labeling, according to the agreement. "In the simplest terms, the bottler in Dublin is using a logo that is no longer authorized and is taking business from fellow Dr Pepper bottlers who play by the rules and sell within their defined territories," said Jim Johnston, president of beverage concentrates for DPS. "We owe it to our other bottlers to stop these unauthorized practices." The company's subsidiary, Dr Pepper/Seven Up Inc., filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas. Dr Pepper is not currently seeking financial damages with the lawsuit, but is asking the court to require Dr Pepper Bottling Co. of Dublin to honor the terms of its license agreement or forfeit its license. Dublin Dr Pepper, which is the oldest bottler of Dr Pepper in the world, said it was surprised by the lawsuit but confident that its corporate partner will not succeed in its efforts. "It is unfortunate that Dr Pepper Snapple's attorneys are asking our overburdened court system to resolve what we believe is a business matter, but we look forward to telling our side of the story before a judge and jury, and we will continue to provide great products and great service to every one of our customers," the company said in a statement. DPS owns the Dr Pepper brand and through its subsidiaries licenses it to more than 170 bottlers across the U.S. and Canada. Kroger said today that the Dr Pepper it sells at Texas stores is based on a recipe using Imperial Sugar. H-E-B said it does not sell the Dublin version. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/7633691.html
Had my first cane sugar Dr. Pepper about a week ago. To me it wasn't better or worse, just a different sweetness. But I guess I'm so used to the corn syrup that I still like it a bit better.
I would like to try the Dublin Dr. Pepper but if the Dublin Dr. Pepper had agreed to sell within that area this seems like a pretty straightforward case.
Umm I could swear I saw Dublin Dr. Pepper at my H-E-B. At one time Dublin was as rare as Mexican Coke. Now it's found in many grocery stores in Houston. You probably won't find it at gas stations like you do around Waco. If Dublin agreed to only distribute in North Central Texas and now is distributing out of it's territory as an alternative to Dr. Pepper then Dr. Pepper has beef.
They sell it just outside of Oklahoma City at Pops! http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheilascarborough/5402673370/ Actual picture from the store. I've bought it there before. They also have Mexican Coke and Mexican Pepsi, and tons of other sodas. I like the frozen Dr. Pepper they have.
I bought a few of these bottles at a BevMo in San Jose, CA memorial weekend its the best I tried to get my local BevMo to get them but they said they couldn't
Good -- Dublin Dr. Pepper is gross. I ordered a Dr. Pepper in Austin and received a Dublin duplicate instead. I wanted to send it back.
What about it was gross? A few years ago I drove to Dublin for kicks and got some Dublin Dr Pepper. After trying it, I couldn't tell the difference. Maybe it was just me. I don't really drink sodas much, either, so I thought I'd be able to tell the difference. I remember reading about the limited county availability back then. There were only one or two restaurants in the DFW area that sold it, and I believe they drove there to pick up cases or something. Now I see them at Exxons and everywhere else, it seems. Of course, the price may be marked up.
I can't taste the difference between sugar and corn syrup. The only sugar version I find worse that the corn syrup version is Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew Throwback tastes like it was sweetened with Splenda or Nutrasweet.
I drink sodas fairly often, so the difference was pretty noticeable. That said, I'm extremely picky so I know my taste generally don't align with others.
