Red Bull is one of the most recognizable energy drinks in the world, known for its signature carbonated formula in the slim silver-and-blue can, which these days comes in a whole host of versions, editions, and delicious flavors. Throughout Asia, however, you will also regularly find small glass bottles carrying the same name and charging bulls, and if you’re like us, you may have wondered whether those were regional versions, licensed products, or something else entirely.
We went directly to Red Bull for an answer, and it shared the complete story that the alternative-looking beverages across Asia, featuring that iconic two-bull logo, are actually Krating Daeng, the original Thai Red Bull line developed by Chaleo Yoovidhya and owned by the TCP Group. The broader Red Bull co-founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, worked with Chaleo to adapt the concept for Europe back in 1987, and, as we now know, that eventually made its way into many other markets.
The Krating Daeng beverages currently on shelves in Asia are basically the original innovation that’s continued on, evolved, and expanded throughout the continent. The company’s selection offers a very different taste and fizz from what most associate with Red Bull, and while the logo is much the same, the colors and designs around it are quite distinct as well.
The Krating Daeng line of products consists of small, glass-bottled, sweet, non-carbonated drinks with taurine and vitamins at their core. You then have TCP Group’s more modern Red Bull line, which is mostly canned and has the familiar fizzy style with caffeine, vitamins, and taurine. The cans mix things up a bit more on flavor, too, but either way, when reaching for Krating Daeng in the likes of Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Laos, you are getting that original energy drink concept that inspired what has become the leading competitor in that category.
