Dublin Dr Pepper cult following thrives

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Dublin Dr Pepper , a Texas institution for 121 years sealed its last bottle under the brand name on Jan. 11.

In the aftermath of the small Texas company’s decision to settle a six-month legal battle with Plano-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group , support for Dublin Bottling Works owner Bill Klosters bottling company and the pure cane sugar version of the drink, is growing.

From the Facebook page, “ Boycott Dr Pepper ” to “ I Support Dublin Dr Pepper ” and yet another, “ Bring Back Dublin Dr Pepper ,” thousands of angry customers are banding together to voice their opposition to the move.

Social media seems to be working against the Dr Pepper Snapple group too.

On the official Dr Pepper Facebook page , angry fans of the former Dublin Dr Pepper beverage are using the page to slam Dr Pepper over the legal battle that ultimately pushed the Dublin, Texas plants decision to sign off the rights to the Dr Pepper name.

The end result was also the loss of jobs for 14 workers, some who had worked for the bottler for years.

Dublin Bottling Works recently took to the social media space, creating a new Facebook page .

Fans of the pure cane-sugar version of the Texas-born drink have criticized Dr Pepper Snapple Group, portraying them as big business taking over small-town America. Dr Pepper Snapple, however says they will distribute a pure cane-sugar version of the beverage, labeled "Dr Pepper Heritage."

A Dallas film-maker has now jumped on the band wagon, recently started an online campaign to raise funds for a documentary called " Bottled Up ."

Don Merritt was shooting footage on the day the bottler sealed the last Dublin Dr Pepper. Kloster even signed the last carton.

Merritt’s, Size Fives Production , hopes to raise $46,000 to $65,000 through fundraisings efforts with IndieGoGo , a film-maker fundraising website. They’ve also created a webpage to describe what they hope for out for the project.

On Merrit’s IndieGoGo page , the filmmaker calls the Jan. 11 end, “The day Dublin Dr Pepper died.”

Merrit goes on to say, “For 120 years, Dublin Dr Pepper was manufactured in the small West Texas town of Dublin. The soda’s original pure cane sugar formula spawned a cult-like following in the Lone Star State and across the globe. All that stopped when Dr Pepper Snapple Group filed a trademark lawsuit against the tiny soda bottling plant, causing an unceremonious end to a relationship that had endured for more than a century.”

The fundraising would go toward a post-production system, post sound design, potential legal fees, music clearances, and marketing and distribution expenses.

The film-maker chose IndiGoGo fundraising over investors because he wanted to tell the story on his own terms.

You can be a part of the film, too. For a contribution of $25 your name will be included in the film credits. $50 will allow you to upload a video rant to their website and it may eventually be used in the film.

For a $15,000 contribution the filmmakers say you’ll get all of the above, and a case of the Dublin Dr Pepper in the bottle.

Bottled Up Trailer

Bottled Up - The Battle over Dublin Dr Pepper (Sizzle Reel) from Bottled Up on Vimeo .