Skip to main content

Dear Dr. Pepper: What Did You Win?

Plano-based Dr. Pepper, please explain to me what it is that you won by shutting down the bottling operations in Dublin (Texas) of their sugar cane-based Dr. Pepper, most commonly known as Dublin Dr. Pepper.

The Dr Pepper/Snapple Group reached a "settlement" with the Dublin-based bottling group in which the smaller, locally owned Dublin Dr Pepper group agreed to not make, bottle, or sell anything with the name or logo of Dublin Dr Pepper on it and also cease selling their pure cane sugar form of the Dr Pepper drink.

I don't drink Dr Pepper or what was once Dublin Dr Pepper, so for me this isn't about some better-tasting product or a better-priced product. This is about how a big corporation, who had nothing to fear from the small business, forced the said small business to shut down its production and in the process layoff 14 workers and essentially destroy Dublin tourism and their tradition of renaming the town "Dr Pepper" every summer in honor of their birthday.

Kudos to Dublin Bottling Works who have reverted to their original name and trying to keep a piece of their history alive. Kudos to continuing to sell "sugar cane-based" drinks, including Dr Pepper (made by Plano-based DP, I'm sure), Big Red, and Triple XXX root beer.

Additionally, after a phone call this afternoon to a helpful "Kenny" at Old Doc's Soda Shop, I found out that the now renamed (to their original name) Dublin Bottling Works had to pack up every item with the words DUBLIN DR PEPPER on them and ship them out. So now, even if you go to Dublin, tour the bottling facility, which I'm assuming still takes place, you can not even buy items of "nostalgia" with the Dublin Dr Pepper logo or name on them.

Why is that Dr Pepper/Snapple group? You are erasing a piece of iconic Texas history. Why couldn't those of us who like Dublin Dr Pepper or those of us who enjoy taking our children out and about teaching them about the wonderful, rich, and unique history that the state of Texas affords us be able to purchase any of the items with their name and logo on them? You won, right? They can't make, bottle, or sell Dublin Dr Pepper anymore, why try and erase what is an integral part of the town's history, of their tourism?

So I come back to my question: What did you win Plano-based Dr Pepper/Snapple group?

I can assure you, it's not my family's money that will be spent on any of your products, and yes, that includes Brett Michael's Trop-a-Rocka Snapple.

Shame on you Dr Pepper/Snapple Group.

Sincerely,

Claudia


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

O'Reilly Impresses Me

Wow! Who would've ever thought I'd have a positive thing to say about Bill O'Reilly? I'll be honest, certainly   not  me. But the world is full of infinite possibilities and this one has come to pass. A group, One Million Moms, has declared a boycott against JC Penney because Ellen DeGeneres is their current spokesperson. This organization says that JC Penney--by hiring an openly homosexual spokesperson--is taking a side (apparently the "wrong" side) in a "culture war" that is in direct contrast to the "traditional families" that actually shop at JC Penney and that they should   fire  DeGeneres as their spokesperson. O'Reilly discussed this issue on his " Unresolved Problems " segment and actually defended JC Penney's right to choose who they want and encouraged the organization to spend their money elsewhere if that was their prerogative. Further, he compared this boycott to the McCarthy-era communist blacklists d...
1 comment
Read more

Open Letter . . .

Dear Susan G. Komen Foundation, Although I am glad that you "reversed" your decision and will continue to fund Planned Parenthood, I find your utter lack of forethought of the decision to do so in the first place disturbing . This was further highlighted by your apparent lack of de-funding all  programs under investigation (i.e., your $7.5 million donation to Penn State to fund cancer research). Women's health is important, period. You forgot that, and I will venture to guess, it's because you've allowed the organization to get caught up in some political mumbo-jumbo--an arena that women's health should be no part of. I'm disturbed that in your "race for the cure," you felt that it only applied to a certain segment of women and not to all  women, especially those of lesser means. You have shown your true colors, and forgot that under that pink ribbon, we all bleed red . And I'm sorry for that because I once--not so long ago--truly b...
Post a Comment
Read more