Carabao Dang Energy Drink (; ; "red

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...

") is a Thai

energy drink An energy drink is a type of non-alcoholic psychoactive functional beverage containing stimulant compounds, usually caffeine (at a higher concentration than ordinary soda pop) and taurine, which is marketed as reducing tiredness and improving pe ...

launched in 2002 by Carabao Tawandang Co Ltd. It is now Thailand's second most popular

, after

Krating Daeng Krating Daeng (, , ; 'red bull' or 'red gaur') is a non-carbonation, carbonated energy drink created by Chaleo Yoovidhya. The drink is marketed and sold primarily in Southeast Asia, Southeast and East Asia; its derivative, Red Bull, is availabl ...

. It is the key brand of Carabao Tawandang in Thailand, with an estimated 21 per cent market share in 2014. The name "Carabao Dang" comes from the Carabao Group's association with the band

Carabao Carabaos () are a genetically distinct population of swamp-type water buffaloes ('' Bubalus bubalis kerabau'') from the Philippines.FAO 2013''Philippine Carabao/Philippines''In: Domestic Animal Diversity Information System. Food and Agriculture ...

, combined with the German Tawandang Brewery Restaurant. It is marketed with the slogan "Carabao Dang: The Fighting Spirit". The drink's launch was accompanied by a high-profile TV advertising campaign featuring the company founder (along with Sathien Setthasit), rock star Yuenyong Opakul, also known as

Aed Carabao Aed Carabao (, ) is the stage name of Yuenyong Opakul (, ; born 9 November 1954) He is a singer-songwriter and leader of the Thai rock band Carabao (band), Carabao, known for its songs in the Phleng phuea chiwit, "songs for life" genre. In Octob ...

. This campaign was investigated by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board for being too violent, but went on to win a gold and a silver medal at ''Media & Marketing'' magazine's Asian Brand Marketing Effectiveness Awards in 2003. In 2004 the drink was introduced to Europe and the United States. Exports to China and India began in 2007. Carabao was introduced in Australia at the beginning of 2018.

Market and share

The market for

energy drinks An energy drink is a type of non-alcoholic psychoactive functional beverage containing stimulant compounds, usually caffeine (at a higher concentration than ordinary soda pop) and taurine, which is marketed as reducing tiredness and improving p ...

in Thailand is estimated at 35 billion

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

in 2018. Carabao research indicates that more than eight million Thais consume energy drinks. Nineteen percent live in Bangkok, 32 percent in other urban areas and 49 percent in rural provinces. Carabao Group expects 2018 revenues to reach 15 billion baht, up from 13 billion baht in 2017.

Production

Carabao was created when Red Bull made budget cuts and the then CFO was made redundant. Carabao completed work on a new production site in the Bang Pakong district of Chachoengsao province in mid-2018. The 8.7 billion baht, 180

rai (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

facility includes a glass bottle plant, an aluminium can plant, and a bottling plant. Bottle production will increase to 1.6 billion bottles per year, up from 1 billion, and can production will increase from 800 million per year to 1.5 billion. Future plans include a fourth factory on the site.

Sponsorship

Carabao signed a sponsorship deal with

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...

as the official training wear partner in 2015. Carabao's logo featured on Chelsea's training kits from the 2016-17 season until the 2020/21 season. Carabao signed a sponsorship deal with Reading F.C. as the primary shirt sponsor in 2016. Carabao became the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

title sponsor, with the competition renamed as the Carabao Cup, from the 2017–18 season onwards. In 2023, Carabao became the sponsor of

V.League 1 The V.League 1 (), also called LPBank V.League 1 for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football league in Vietnam, controlled by the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF). It is contested by 14 clubs who play each ...

club Hoàng Anh Gia Lai. For the season 2022/23, Carabao became an official partner to

Heart of Midlothian F.C. Heart of Midlothian Football Club, commonly known as Hearts, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the , the top division of Scottish football. Hearts, the oldest football club in the Scottish capital, wa ...

Part of this partnership is to support charity by contributing £1 for every case purchased to Big Hearts Community Trust.

References

External links

Official website
{{Energy Drinks Energy drinks Products introduced in 2002 Food and drink introduced in 2002 Thai drink brands Drink brands Companies in the SET50