Slow Cow is a relaxation drink, dubbed an "anti-energy" drink, produced in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

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

parodied A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwide, inc ...

by using packaging similar to that of the popular energy drink. 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 ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, and in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

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

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

History

Slow Cow was developed by Lino Fleury in

. He noted that while there were plenty of energy drinks 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 class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...

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 it represents as in a wordm ...

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 private company known for its range of energy drinks of the same name. It is also known for its sponsorship of a range of sporting events and teams. The headquarters of Red Bull GmbH are located in Fuschl am ...

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