Slow Cow is a

relaxation drink A relaxation drink is a non-alcoholic beverage containing calming ingredients normally found in nature. It is a functional beverage that serves to calm a person but unlike other calming beverages such as tea, relaxation drinks almost universally c ...

, dubbed an "anti-energy" drink, produced in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada, by the company Slow Cow Drink Inc. it was created to "help people slow down" and

parodied A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satirical or ironic imitation. Often its subject is an original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, etc), but a parody can also b ...

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...

by using packaging similar to that of the popular

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 ...

. Slow Cow was launched in Quebec in December 2008, with plans to sell the product in the rest of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, the United States, Russia, Hong Kong, Italy, Iceland, China and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

History

Slow Cow was developed by

Lino Fleury Lino may refer to: * Lino, short for linoleum, a common flooring material * Lino, slang for linesman, the former name (still in widespread common use) for an assistant referee in association football People Given name * Lino (footballer, born 1 ...

. He noted that while there were plenty of

s available, there were no beverages to "help people slow down when they are stressed". Because of the

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 ...

present in energy drinks, he said that they were inclined to "increase anxiety, not reduce it". Fleury and his team began developing the relaxation drink in 2006 using mostly natural ingredients that would calm the drinker without inducing drowsiness. When the finished product was launched in December 2008, it was packaged to parody

. The can was of a similar shape and size as the popular energy drink, and the

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

featured two cows relaxing to contrast the two bulls fighting in the Red Bull logo. After the launch,

Red Bull GmbH Red Bull GmbH () is an Austrian multinational private conglomerate company that created the Red Bull range of energy drinks. It is also known for its sponsorship, wide range of sporting events and Works team, teams. The headquarters of Red Bull ...

sent Slow Cow Drink Inc. a formal notice to close, claiming that Slow Cow's packaging copied Red Bull's. While Fleury admitted to the similar packaging, he said that his lawyers "are confident they will win this case".

References

{{reflist Products introduced in 2008 Non-alcoholic drinks Relaxation drinks Dietary supplements Drink companies of Canada