An opinion by Laura Tomah
Yeardisc editor
I would like to raise one of the remaining bottles of Dublin Dr. Pepper and salute Sam Houston Prim, the man who brought Dr. Pepper in its original formula to Dublin, Texas in 1891 according to Old Doc’s Soda Shop’s website, http://www.olddocs.com.
As I tearfully raise my bottle among other true Dr. Pepper fans across the country, I wonder why Dr. Pepper Snapple Group choose to end this part of our country’s history.
The common soda consumer may be wondering what made this Dr. Pepper plant so iconic to its loyal followers. According to Old Doc’s Soda Shop Museum website, Bill Kloster, who was taken under Prim’s wing as he worked his way up from bottle sorting at the age of 14 to general manager, refused to change from pure cane sugar to corn sweeteners when corporate wanted them to.
Kloster was so dedicated to the brand that he worked every day at the plant until literally the day he passed away.
This legend was eliminated by the DPS group, the parent company, as a result of a lawsuit that appeared in June which stated that the Dublin plant was taking sales away from other bottling facilities, according to MSN Money.com.
MSN Money reported that the Dublin bottler had sales of $7 million in 2010 compared to DPS group’s $5.6 billion that same year. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can feel the greed of this big corporation. Although I am sure this was a false claim as to why they actually choose to sue the Dublin Plant.
Although Dublin had answered this lawsuit with its own, Dublin lost its battle on Jan. 11 when the last cases of Dublin Dr. Pepper to be made came off the line, according to NBC.
Fourteen employees were laid off, and Old Doc’s Soda Shop, along with the plant, was forced to remove everything with the iconic Dublin logo off the shelves or destroy it all together, according to NBC.
Although the plant is no longer called Dublin Dr. Pepper, it will remain open under the name Dublin Bottling Works. The plant will no longer be manufacturing its legacy with the iconic label, although its museum, Old Doc’s Soda Shop, will remain selling the equivalent allowed by corporate without the Dublin portion of the logo, according to NBC.
Dr. Pepper, supposedly in its cane sugar form, will be manufactured at the Temple, Texas plant, according to NBC. I guess it’s lucky for the Temple plant they never wanted to clearly state on their bottle where the product was made.
What really caused this lawsuit to occur? Could it be the fact that DPS group saw an opportunity for throwback products? And grant you they might actually be made with corn syrup.
I honestly can’t understand why DPS would want to do away with a part of its history for a few million dollars more a year. I am aware from a business standpoint this causes inconsistency in their product, but in this instance I find that a completely unacceptable excuse.
I grew up with this product and have many memories of enjoying it with my family. For that matter, you can ask any of my close friends; I have never really cared for regular Dr. Pepper. It always had to be a Dublin Dr. Pepper for me.
While I know I am only one person, it’s safe to say that my switch to Pepsi this past summer most definitely will become a permanent switch.
While another piece of my childhood is taken away, I mourn its loss and would like to salute all those who have made this product available for over 100 years, bringing joy to other Dublin Dr. Pepper fans like myself. I would also like to express my sympathy to other loyal fans of the product.