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Barq's () is a brand of root beer created by Edward Barq and bottled since the beginning of the 20th century. It is owned by
the Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is lis ...
. It was known as "Barq's Famous Olde Tyme Root Beer" until 2012. Some of its formulations contain
caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...
.Caffeine Database , Caffeine and Ingredients in Barqs Rootbeer
OverCaffeinated.org's Report on the Ingredients in Barq's Rootbeer
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History

The Barq's Brothers Bottling Company was founded in 1890 in the French Quarter of
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, by Edward Charles Edmond Barq and his older brother, Gaston. The brothers bottled carbonated water and various soft drinks of their own creation. Early on, their most popular creation was an orange-flavored soda called Orangine. Edward Barq moved to
Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...
in 1897 with his new wife. The following year he opened the Biloxi Artesian Bottling Works. By some accounts he debuted what was later to be known as "Barq's root beer" the following year, but others maintain it was not produced until 1900. For many decades, Barq's was not marketed as a "root beer". This was in part a desire to avoid legal conflict with the Hires Root Beer company, which was attempting to claim a trademark on the term "root beer". It was also due to some differences from other root beers at the time. The formulation was sarsaparilla-based, contained less sugar, had a higher carbonation, and less of a foamy head than other brands. The traditional slogan was the simple affirmation which first appeared on the classic diamond-necked bottle patented in 1935 by Ed Barq: "Drink Barq's. It's good." In 1976, the Biloxi Barq's Company was purchased from the third generation of Barq family members by John Oudt and John Koerner. An aggressive television campaign was developed based on the "Barq's Got Sparks" theme. Their plans to market the brand nationally were complicated by the existence of the Louisiana-based Barq's companies which were owned and operated by Robinson's heirs. There were extended legal conflicts over the rights and ownership of the trademarks for Barq's, Barq's Sr. and Barq's Root Beer. The legal battle went all the way to the United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, which ruled in favor of the Robinson heirs. The last family-held Louisiana Barq's was sold by Robinson's heirs to
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
in 2000. The world's largest
root beer float An ice cream float or ice cream soda, also known as an ice cream spider in Australia and New Zealand, is a chilled beverage made by adding ice cream to a soft drink or to a mixture of flavored syrup and carbonated water. When root beer and vanil ...
was created in 1990, when Barq's Root Beer cooperated with a Pick N Save grocery store in
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by mixing of Barq’s root beer with of vanilla ice cream in an above-ground swimming pool. In the early 1990s, Barq's sought to use current events in their marketing. In 1991, they attached coupons to 3-D glasses distributed at screenings of ''Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare''. In 1992, Barq's utilized the
fall of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of Nationalities, Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. :s: ...
in a marketing campaign. The company spent between approximately $2.5 to $3 million promoting a "Soviet Union Going Out of Business Sale," where customers could exchange proof of purchase items for memorabilia. In 1994, they utilized publicity surrounding the murder trial of O. J. Simpson to run a sweepstakes where customers could "match the DNA" from a
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to win a trip to
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and "Get Out of the Country." Since 1995, Barq's has marketed with the slogan "Barq's has bite!" Television ads would typically feature a Barq's salesman (played by Nick Swardson) going door-to-door to tell people, "Barq's has bite" at which point the subjects would take a sip and have an energetic reaction. Regular Barq's has 22.5 mg of
caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...
per 12 ounce serving (similar to
green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...
), while Diet Barq's has no caffeine. Barq's also contains sodium benzoate as a flavor protectant, which under the right conditions, is a precursor to the known carcinogen benzene. It was still used as of
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. The Barq's that is dispensed from Coca-Cola Freestyle machines is caffeine-free. This is because the system uses the same concentrated, microdosed ingredient for both Barq's and Diet Barq's; the only difference between the two is the sweetener that is added. It is also common for Barq's that is sold in the state of Utah to be caffeine-free because many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints avoid caffeinated beverages.


Products

* Barq's Root Beer * Diet Barq's Root Beer - contains no caffeine. Available in Root Beer and Vanilla Cream. * Barq's Zero Sugar Root Beer (Diet Barq's Root Beer rebranded in 2022) * Barq's Red Crème Soda (Barq's Yellow Creme Soda was also produced until the early 1990s). * Diet Barq's Red Crème Soda * Barq's French Vanilla Crème Soda * Barq's Spiced Cherry (Canada) * Barq's Birch Beer * Discontinued: Diet Crème Soda Barq's French Vanilla * Discontinued: Barq's Floatz, which is designed to taste like a root beer float. J & J Snack Foods Corporation once licensed the brand name for Barq's Floatz ice cream squeeze tubes.


References


External links

*
The History of Root Beer
{{Coca-Cola Root beer Coca-Cola brands Products introduced in 1898 Food and drink companies established in 1890 History of New Orleans 1890 establishments in Louisiana Caffeinated soft drinks