The company was founded in 1875 by Robert Barr in
Falkirk. In 1887, his son, Robert Fulton Barr, set up a division of the original company in
Glasgow, which had a much larger population. The Falkirk and Glasgow divisions merged in 1959, and the company was listed on the
London Stock Exchange in 1965. In 2002,
Roger White joined A.G. Barr as managing director, and in 2004 became the first chief executive from outside the Barr family. The company acquired
Forfar-based Strathmore Mineral Water in May 2006. The Irn-Bru 32
energy drink variant was launched in 2006. and exotic fruit drink company
Rubicon. In 2007 A.G. Barr began production and distribution of
Rockstar Energy for the
United Kingdom and
Republic of Ireland. This contract was terminated in 2020, following the acquisition by
PepsiCo. In November 2012, the company agreed to merge with
Britvic, which produces drinks like
J2O,
Tango and
Robinsons, as well as holding the authority to produce
Pepsi for the UK market, to create one of Europe's largest soft drinks companies. The merger was abandoned in July 2013. In 2014 A.G. Barr signed a 10-year deal with
Dr Pepper Snapple Group to sell, market and distribute the Snapple brand in the UK and some of Europe. The company acquired a cocktail mixer business, Funkin, in February 2015. In December 2022, the company acquired
Boost Drinks for £20 million from founders Simon and Alison Gray. The company also took full control of Moma Foods at that time. In October 2023, it was announced A.G. Barr had acquired the
Rio Tropical Limited soft drinks brand from the independent brewer and pub company,
Hall and Woodhouse Limited, for £12.3 million. In March 2025, A.G. Barr announced plans to discontinue Strathmore bottled water in a move that could see the closure of its Forfar factory; however, in July 2025 the brand was acquired by
Tŷ Nant which safeguarded the jobs. Also in July A.G. Barr acquired a majority stake in Innate-Essence Limited, parent company of The Turmeric Co. In February 2026, the company announced that it was to acquire Hexam-based
Fentimans for £38 million and Devon-based Frobishers for £13 million. ==Brands==