Krating Daeng was first devised in 1975. It contains water, cane sugar,
caffeine,
taurine,
inositol and
B-vitamins. It was introduced in Thailand in 1976 as a refreshment for rural Thai labourers, in the same year that the similarly-named
Red Gaurs paramilitary organization carried out attacks on students. "At first it was not very popular...", says current CEO Saravoot Yoovidhya. "It was quite different from others in the market, and Chaleo focused first on upcountry markets rather than in the cities where other competitors concentrated." down to possibly only 7 percent market share in 2014. Mateschitz was the international marketing director for
Blendax, a German toothpaste company, when he visited Thailand in 1982 and discovered that Krating Daeng helped to cure his jet lag. He worked in partnership with Chaleo's T.C. Pharmaceuticals to adapt the formula and composition to Western tastes. Red Bull was launched in 1987. The two companies are often mistaken for each other, but they are separate entities focusing on different target markets running in conjunction with one another. At the time of founding and as of today,
Red Bull GmbH, who owns the trademark for the drink in Europe and the United States of America, is 51 percent controlled by the Yoovidhya family. • The classic 250 mL can features both "Red Bull" and "KRATINGDAENG" (without space). • The Thai 170 mL "Extra" and 250 mL "Soda" products feature "Red Bull" and not "Krating Daeng". • All TCP-licensed products made in China features "Red Bull" and not "Krating Daeng". • The speciality products for the Malaysian, Filipino, Mongolian, Hong Kongese, Vietnamese, Singaporean markets feature "Red Bull" and not "Krating Daeng". As a result, the mere presence of the wordmark "Red Bull" does not imply that the product is made by Red Bull GmbH of Austria or one of its subsidiaries.
In China Two separate companies use the golden-can Krating Daeng design in China under the wordmark " Red Bull". This was the result of two separate agreements made by the T.C. Pharmaceutical Industries Co. Ltd. (later the "TCP Group") with Chinese companies. The first company was founded in 1995 a licensed production by
Reignwood Group, with the trademark authorization lasting until 2016. The second was founded solely by TCP in 2019, buying up a Chinese drinks company in whole. Since the end of the license terms in 2016, the TCP and Reignwood have been embroiled in legal fights trying to become the sole legal party allowed to use the trademark 红牛. Different Chinese local courts have made conflicting judgements favoring either side. ==Sponsorship==