Red Bull's famous slogan is Austrian, but the drink itself is a reformulated version of a Thai labourers' tonic that's been around since 1976.
The Thai origins
In 1976, Thai entrepreneur Chaleo Yoovidhya created Krating Daeng — which translates roughly as "red gaur", a large wild ox native to Southeast Asia — as a non-carbonated, sweet energy tonic aimed at factory workers, truck drivers and manual labourers who needed a cheap pick-me-up. Austrian businessman Dietrich Mateschitz came across the drink on a work trip to Thailand and partnered with Chaleo in 1984 to found Red Bull GmbH. Mateschitz carbonated the formula and adjusted the sweetness for Western tastes, and Red Bull launched in Austria in 1987, becoming the drink's international, carbonated cousin.
What taurine actually is
Taurine is often treated as a mysterious or exotic energy-drink ingredient, but it's an amino sulfonic acid that occurs naturally in meat, fish, dairy and the human body, where it plays a role in muscle and nerve function. The taurine added to Red Bull and similar drinks is produced synthetically rather than extracted from animal sources, which also makes it suitable for vegetarians. A standard 250ml can of Red Bull contains 1,000mg of taurine alongside around 80mg of caffeine — roughly the same caffeine as a cup of coffee — plus a mix of B vitamins.
The energy drink category it created
Red Bull's Western launch in 1987 is widely credited with creating the modern energy drink category as we know it outside Thailand and Asia. The brand grew through distinctive marketing rather than price competition, sponsoring extreme sports, founding its own Formula 1 team in 2005, and running stunts like the 2012 Stratos space jump. Its success drew in competitors across the category, but Red Bull has remained one of the best-selling energy drinks in the world for decades, and it's still sold in the same slim can shape it launched with in Austria.
Frequently asked questions
Did Red Bull originate in Thailand?
Yes. Red Bull is based on Krating Daeng, a Thai drink created by Chaleo Yoovidhya in 1976 for manual labourers, which Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz later adapted for Western markets.
What is taurine, actually?
Taurine is an amino sulfonic acid found naturally in meat, fish and dairy, and in energy drinks it is added in a synthetically produced form rather than extracted from animals.
How big is the energy drink category Red Bull created?
Red Bull's 1987 Austrian launch effectively created the modern energy drink category in the West, and it remains one of the best-selling energy drinks worldwide, having expanded into motorsport and extreme sports sponsorship since the 1990s and 2000s.