Dr Pepper stands shoulder to shoulder with other soda giants but with Dr Pepper’s long history, you may wonder about the origins of Dr Pepper.
You might be curious about Dr Pepper and if Dr Pepper is a Coke product. I did the research, and here is what I found!
Is Dr Pepper A Coke Product?
Dr Pepper is not a Coke product because Dr Pepper is a soda brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which is a part of a larger conglomerate owned by Mondelez and JAB Holdings. Dr Pepper is not unrelated to Coke though, as they are in a distribution agreement. Moreover, Dr Pepper and Coke have different flavor profiles.
If you are curious about the relationship between Dr Pepper and Coke and more, keep reading to find out more!
Does Coca-Cola Own Dr Pepper?
Coca-Cola does not own Dr Pepper, but the Coca-Cola Company bought the rights for Dr Pepper’s bottling in 2010.
This acquisition deal required Coke to pay $715 million to sell and distribute select Dr Pepper products.
Why Did Dr Pepper Sue Coke?
In 1972, Dr Pepper Company filed a lawsuit against the Coca-Cola Bottling Company due to trademark infringement.
Coca-Cola tried naming a product similar to Dr Peper ‘Peppo’, which Dr Pepper found to violate Dr Pepper’s brand name.
Coke lost the dispute, so Coke settled on calling their product Mr. Pibb instead of Peppo.
Mr. Pibb is advertised as Coke’s own product with a ‘Dr Pepper-type’ taste, but Mr. Pibb was renamed and reformulated once again in 2001 as Pibb Xtra.
What Company Owns Dr Pepper Soda?
Dr Pepper is a product of a company called Keurig Dr Pepper, which is part of a larger conglomerate owned by American firm Mondelez and the Austrian organization JAB Holdings.
Originally, Dr Pepper was owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, but Dr Pepper was purchased by Keurig Green Mountain in 2018 leading to the birth of the third-largest beverage after Coke and Pepsi.
For reference, Dr Pepper originated in Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Texas and was first sold in 1885.
Dr Pepper’s brand owner was known as Wade Morrison, who named the drink after the father of a girl Wade Morrison was in love with.
Does Dr Pepper Identify As A Cola?
Dr Pepper cannot classify as a cola because Dr Pepper has no kola nut in its formula unlike Coca-Cola and Pepsi products.
Moreover, a federal court ruling from 1963 states that Dr Pepper has a distinct flavor separate from cola.
Additionally, Keurig identifies Dr Pepper as a ‘spice cherry’ soda, belonging to a category of its own.
Is Dr Pepper A Coke And Root Beer Combination?
Dr Pepper is not a blend of coke and root beer, and the only thing these three products have in common is carbonated water, which is used for fizz.
For starters, Dr Pepper does not have kola nuts in Dr Pepper’s recipe, meaning Dr Pepper is not a cola.
Additionally, Dr Pepper does not contain bark from sassafras tree or sarsaparilla vine, which means Dr Pepper cannot be a root beer.
Therefore, the closest identification Dr Pepper would be is in the ‘other’ group of sodas, making Dr Pepper a different type of soda completely.
Is Dr Pepper A Pepsi Cola Product?
Dr Pepper is not owned by the PepsiCo Company, but they do have some complicated relationships since Dr Pepper and Pepsi products are often next to each other in most stores.
Pepsi bought some international distribution rights to Dr Pepper, meaning that Pepsi can sell Dr Pepper products but Pepsi does not control any production for Dr Pepper.
Pepsi Cola distributes Dr Pepper products to areas where the latter does not have much reach and market share, and this partnership means that Dr Pepper products can be bottled in Pepsi bottling facilities.
Is Dr Pepper A Cherry Coke Cola?
Dr Pepper is described by the Keurig company itself as ‘spice cherry soda,’ but Dr Pepper is not a Cherry Coke cola.
Dr Pepper’s formula is not associated with Coke other than the shared distribution rights.
Instead, Dr Pepper is a unique drink within the beverage category that does not fall under any general groups.
Additionally, Dr Pepper’s brand is adamant about keeping their 23-blend recipe a secret, but Dr Pepper emphasizes both unique and artificial flavors.
What’s More Popular Coke Or Dr Pepper?
When it comes to market sales, there is no doubt that Coke leads the race in the best-selling sodas. On the other hand, Dr Pepper comes third place, right after PepsiCo.
However, that does not mean Dr Pepper is not as outstanding as the other leading giants because Dr Pepper has a strong brand growth of 40%, making Dr Pepper the fastest-growing company.
Does Dr Pepper Taste Like Coke?
Some people may say that Dr Pepper and Coke tastes the same, but this depends on a person’s subjective description. Generally, these drinks have different flavor profiles.
Coke tastes strongly of vanilla and cinnamon with lots of carbonation, and Coke has a certain crispness that gives Coke a distinctive taste.
On the other hand, Dr Pepper is best described as sharp with deep flavors while featuring darker fruit tastes.
Read our other articles to learn if Coke owns Pepsi, if Coke goes bad, and if Coke can remove rust.
Conclusion
Dr Pepper is not a Coke product because Dr Pepper is part of a company called Keurig Dr Pepper, which is a subsidiary business of a larger conglomerate made up of Mendelez and JAB Holdings.
Dr Pepper does not classify as cola and Dr Pepper is considered its own type of unique soda. As such, Dr Pepper cannot be compared to Coke products that fall under the cola category.