theStearns

Dublin Dr Pepper is bottled with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar using the original Dr Pepper formula (photo by Kenn Stearns)

The formula for Dr Pepper was created in Waco, Texas by Charles Alderton in 1885, but it took four decades before the first Dr Pepper franchise agreement was issued to Sam Houston Prim. The franchise area chosen for Dublin Bottling Works was a 44-mile radius surrounding Dublin, Texas, a small community about 90 miles northwest of Waco. The formula for making Dr Pepper included real sugar.

Due to price supports and import quotas for sugar, most soft drinks started using high fructose corn syrup in the late ’70s. But in the ’80s, Dublin Bottling Works plant owner W.P. “Bill” Kloster refused to convert the oldest bottling plant in the world and continued to use sugar. The plant manager also preferred to use six-and-a-half-ounce glass bottles. Today fans of Dublin Dr Pepper swear it has a more authentic taste that is better than Dr Pepper produced elsewhere. I believe them.

Iberia Sugar Cooperative, Inc. near New Iberia, Louisiana (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Built in 1937, the Iberia Sugar Cooperative factory was closed in December 2004. The factory and its 180-acre site was sold in 2007. The plant we toured in 2003 produced 8,000 tons of sugar cane daily, up from 2,000/day when the plant opened. I’ll never forget the taste of the sugar, still warm from processing.

The Iberia Sugar Cooperative factory (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Pistachio gelato at Café Josie's in Austin, TX (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Gelato (which means “frozen” in Italian) has less than half the fat content of ice cream. But gelato has almost twice the amount of sugar that’s in ice cream. Seems to me gelato tastes better than American-style ice cream.

Gelateria Brivido in Siena, Italy (photo by Kenn Stearns)