The mysterious launch of NZ-made Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper uber fan Dylan Reeve tries to figure out why we’re finally making the drink here, 140 years after it was invented. 

The doctor is in! The “doctor” being the soft drink Dr Pepper, and “in” being “stores in this country”.

I have a whole collection of photos of either the first or last Diet Dr Pepper I’ve downed during pretty much every one of my many trips to the US. It became almost a ritual for me to get a cold Diet Dr Pepper before even leaving the terminal at LAX, so let’s just say that I’m pretty pleased with this development. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself… Let’s get back to basics.

If you’re not familiar with this specific bubbly delight, allow me to lay out a little soda pop lore… Much like the more globally successful Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper can trace its origins to a drug store in the American south in the late 1800s. In fact, the origin story of Dr Pepper sees it first being sold to consumers in Waco, Texas, at Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in 1885, a year before Coca-Cola first went on sale in Atlanta, Georgia. 

But maybe the most important thing about Dr Pepper is what it tastes like… It’s far more divisive than the much-copied cola flavour that Coke is known for. US branding for the drink highlights the number 23 – that’s how many flavours are apparently combined to create the formula. Exactly which flavours is anyone’s guess, but non-Pepperheads often describe the result as being medicinal or, to quote a friend who took a sip of my drink once, “disgusting”. 

I, a man in possession of a refined Dr Pepper-loving palette, would suggest that it’s a truly fantastic flavour, and if pressed for a more nuanced description, then I would probably say that it’s a slightly fruity cola. Need a comparison point? It’s basically like Coke with some fake cherry flavour and a bit more vanilla. Some say there are marzipan notes.

Now, when some Redditors excitedly noticed a few weeks back that a locally-made Dr Pepper had started showing up in some soft drink fridges, many pooh-poohed the excitement. “It’s in pretty much every dairy I’ve been in for about 15 years,” one person posted, dismissively. 

They just don’t get it.

Yes, many dairies and even the major supermarkets have had single cans of imported Dr Pepper available. But It’s almost always just the standard high-fructose, corn-syrup sweetened American one, parallel imported and sold for a bit more than a typical can of soft drink. It was next to impossible to find the sugar-free version, and if you wanted some in the fridge at home then the multipacks were even harder to find – you might have ended up paying $30 + shipping for 12 cans. Even at Costco, (another of my obsessions – don’t get me started) it was selling at $22 for a 12-pack. 

There was no chance of ordering one with your Happy Meal, or grabbing one from the fridge at the petrol station while you filled up. 

So, the excitement that gripped Dr Pepper fans – this one included – centred around the hope that it will become one of the standard drinks available everywhere you buy effervescent concoctions. That first Reddit post showed it sitting in a Coke-branded fridge right alongside the Coke and Fanta! It gave us license to dream big. 

But, why has Dr Pepper finally landed here in a big way, and why has its entrance been so low-key? I am on high-alert, yet haven’t spotted any ads or press releases. 

The packaging tells us that the drinks are made in New Zealand by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners NZ. I reached out to the company on their only listed phone number and was told “email us”. So I fired off my email, with the subject line “media request” and hoped it would bubble to the top of someone’s inbox, and then I waited.

In the meantime, I checked local shops. The results were variable to say the least. One dairy had 600ml bottles and the bigger-sized 440ml cans, but only in the full sugar version. Some showed no sign of the new locally made Coke-alternative, but a few cans of the imported stuff.

My local New World delivered in a big way though: I found 10-packs of the regular 330ml cans in both the sugar and “Zerooo” (I don’t know why it has extra Os) versions, so I now have them stacked up in my fridge, and more than a few empty ones piling up on my desk.

I prodded Coca-Cola on LinkedIn and finally heard back.

“Dr Pepper is all about bringing something different to the market at a time when people are looking for new taste experiences and more excitement in their everyday choices. It stands out from the sea of usual beverages with a refreshingly unique flavour that shakes up your tastebuds and delivers something unexpected,” said the statement from a spokesperson.

“The launch is also tapping into the growing demand for drinks that feel a little more adventurous. Trying new things gives people that small buzz of energy and curiosity, and Dr Pepper leans right into that feeling; bringing a bold personality and a taste people can’t quite compare to anything else.”

Fine, but I wanted to know, why now? And would Dr Pepper find its way to the ubiquitous fast-food soft drink dispensers?

“We’ve seen growing interest globally in more unique soft drink options. Dr Pepper has a really strong following overseas, so we felt now was a great time to bring it to Aotearoa,” and “nothing to share on fast food outlets right now, but we’re definitely keeping an open mind as we see demand continue to grow.”

The spokesperson confirmed that I’ve correctly gauged the extent of Dr Pepper’s local offering – the large 440ml cans and 600ml bottles in drinks fridges, and 10-packs of the 330mL cans in supermarkets. I hold out hope for bigger bottles, and the option of an icy Dr Pepper with a Big Mac in future (actually, I’m more of a Whopper guy, but don’t get me started on that).