Dr. Enuf is an American brand of soft drink bottled by Tri-City Beverage in Johnson City, Tennessee.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] It is a lemon-lime flavored drink (though its taste is different from common lemon-lime sodas such as Sprite or 7 Up.) Dr. Enuf is fortified with several water-soluble vitamins. Its marketing slogan is "Enuf is Enough!"
Dr. Enuf's origins date back to 1949, when a Chicago businessman named William Mark Swartz was urged by coworkers to formulate a soft drink fortified with vitamins as an alternative to sugar sodas full of empty calories. He developed an "energy booster" drink containing B vitamins, caffeine and cane sugar. After placing a notice in a trade magazine seeking a bottler, he formed a partnership with Charles Gordon of Tri-City Beverage to produce and distribute the soda.[8]
Early product heritage with Mountain Dew[edit]
Early in its development, Dr. Enuf was reported to have several therapeutic effects, including the easing of stomach pains, relief from hangovers and a clearing of the mind. One of the early advertised uses of Dr. Enuf, curing hangovers, coincided with Tri-City Beverage's other soft drink at the time, a drink mixer called Mountain Dew. Tri-City Beverage later sold the rights to Mountain Dew to Pepsi, but kept the Dr. Enuf brand.
The drink is still produced to this day by Tri-Cities Beverage. Dr. Enuf is available in original, Diet, Herbal and Diet Herbal varieties. A bottle of any of the varieties contains at least 80% of the recommended daily nutritional requirement of thiamine (Vitamin B1), niacin (Vitamin B3), potassium and iodine. The herbal varieties also contain ginseng and guarana, and are cherry flavored.
Availability[edit]
Dr. Enuf is widely distributed in northeast Tennessee, particularly in the Tri-Cities, plus parts of southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina.[9][10]
While hard to find, Dr. Enuf is available in select locations[vague] throughout the Southeast as well as at many Cracker Barrel locations throughout the country. It is also available at Pal's restaurant locations.[11] As of 2022, Dr. Enuf is also available in Eastern Kentucky.
References[edit]
- ^ "Herbal drink joins energy drink range", Beverage Daily, June 24, 2002.
- ^ "Dr Enuf gives a 'new age' boost – with nutrients", The Roanoke Times, June 18, 1997.
- ^ "Vitamin-Enriched Dr. Enuf Trying to Give Boost to Soft Drink Market", Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1998.
- ^ Dr. Enuf turns 60, TriCities.com, November 6, 2009.
- ^ "Tri-City's Diet Dr. Enuf and Diet Herbal Dr. Enuf beverages have been reformulated", Beverage Industry, September 2004.
- ^ "Dr. Enuf", Now and Then, 5 (3), 1988,
Since Dr. Enuf was introduced in 1949, it has become a part of the folklore of Upper East Tennessee.
- ^ Edge, John T (2007), Southern belly: the ultimate food lover's companion to the South, Algonquin Books, pp. 248–49, ISBN 9781565125476.
- ^ Sauceman, Fred W (2009). The Place Setting. Mercer University Press. pp. 89–97. ISBN 9780881461404.
According to corporate lore, Bill Schwartz [sic], a Chicago chemist, developed the formula after hearing his co-workers complain of lethargy.
. - ^ Krouse, Peter (June 16, 1997), "Old-time Tennessee soft drik pops up with Carolina debut", News & Record, News bank.
- ^ Cavender, Anthony P (2003), Folk medicine in southern Appalachia, University of North Carolina Press, pp. 75–7, ISBN 9780807854938.
- ^ Pal's Sudden Service, retrieved September 18, 2023