Sooners welcome inclusion of Dr Pepper on campus
Coca-Cola Companies:
Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Co.: A bottling company based in Oklahoma City and the sixth-largest bottler of Coca-Cola in the U.S.
Coca-Cola Refreshments: The result when Coca-Cola Co. acquired all the North American business of Coca-Cola Enterprises.
Coca-Cola Enterprises: Coca-Cola’s largest bottling company in the world.
Sources:
Great Plains Coca-Cola website
Coca-Cola website
Coca-Cola Enterprises website
Sooners warmly welcomed the addition of Dr Pepper on campus after four years of exclusive Coca-Cola products.
OU students, faculty and staff finally satisfied their four-year craving for Dr Pepper two weeks ago when two companies merged and allowed the beverage to be sold on campus.
Customers have expressed their appreciation for the added variety, said Amy Buchanan, the marketing and public relations specialist for OU Housing and Food Services.
The Dr Pepper products available on campus have sold well since they started appearing for sale in vending machines and restaurants around campus.
Tim Attocknie, a barista at Roscoe’s coffee shop, said he usually sells about half a case of 24 bottles of Dr Pepper during each of his shifts.
Despite the new beverage’s popularity, OU officials don’t expect the university to gain or lose money as a result of offering Dr Pepper on campus, Chris Kuwitzky, OU’s associate vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer, said.
“The advantage of offering more beverage options is the ability to better meet the needs of more students, faculty and staff,” Kuwitzky said.
For the last four years, OU only has been able to sell Coca-Cola products on campus, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coca-Cola and Sprite, said Ish Arebalos, a public affairs and communications employee for Coca-Cola Refreshments.
In 2011, Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Co. became part of Coca-Cola Refreshments, Arebalos said. The merging of the two companies enabled OU to offer a wider variety of beverages on campus, including Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper.
While Dr Pepper products are only being sold in bottle form at the moment, the process is underway for Dr Pepper to be installed as a fountain drink, Michael Nash, university spokesman, said.
However, it is not yet known when the machines will be ready for use, and it will take some time for all the restaurants around campus to make the transition.
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