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Red Bull is based on a Thai energy drink for truck drivers.

The original was a syrupy yellow tonic called Krating Daeng, sold to keep long-distance drivers awake.

2 min read
Red Bull is based on a Thai energy drink for truck drivers.
THE FULL STORY

In 1976, a Thai businessman named Chaleo Yoovidhya started making a sweet, syrupy energy drink for truck drivers, farm workers, and other people who needed to stay awake through long shifts. He called it Krating Daeng, which means “red bull” in Thai, and put two charging bulls on the label.

In 1982, an Austrian businessman named Dietrich Mateschitz was on a work trip to Thailand and was given a bottle of Krating Daeng for jet lag. It worked. He partnered with Yoovidhya, tweaked the recipe - lower sugar, added bubbles - and launched a Western version called Red Bull in 1987.

The carbonated version was a hit. Red Bull pioneered the modern energy drink market and now sells over 12 billion cans a year worldwide. The original Krating Daeng is still sold across Asia, looking almost the same as it did in the 1970s - sticky, sweet, fizz-free, and very popular with truckers.

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