<P> In 1976 Chaleo Yoovidhya introduced a drink called Krating Daeng in Thailand, which means "red gaur" in English . It was popular among Thai truck drivers and labourers . While working for German manufacturer Blendax (later acquired by Procter & Gamble) in 1982, Dietrich Mateschitz travelled to Thailand and met Chaleo, owner of T.C. Pharmaceutical . During his visit, Mateschitz discovered that Krating Daeng helped cure his jet lag . In 1984, Mateschitz co-founded Red Bull GmbH with Yoovidhya and turned it into an international brand . Each partner invested US $500,000 of savings to found the company . Yoovidhya and Mateschitz each held a 49 percent share of the new company . They gave the remaining two percent to Yoovidhya's son, Chalerm, but it was agreed that Mateschitz would run the company . The product was launched in Austria in 1987 . </P> <P> In Thailand energy drinks are most popular with blue - collar workers . Red Bull re-positioned the drink as a trendy, upscale drink, first introducing it at Austrian ski resorts . Pricing was a key differentiator, with Red Bull positioned as a premium drink and Krating Daeng as a lower cost item . In many countries both drinks are available, dominating both ends of the price spectrum . </P> <P> In 1992 the product expanded to international markets: Hungary and Slovenia . It entered the United States via California in 1997 and the Middle East in 2000 . In 2008, Forbes magazine listed both Chaleo and Mateschitz as the 250th richest people in the world with an estimated net worth of US $4 billion . </P> <P> Red Bull GmbH is headquartered in Fuschl am See, an Austrian village of about 1,500 inhabitants near Salzburg . The company is 51 percent controlled by the Yoovidhya family who, for technical reasons, own the trademark in Europe and the US . </P>

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