Red Bull special editions in wholesale: what retailers should know

Who makes Red Bull, and how big is the brand?

Red Bull is an Austrian company. According to its own company page, Dietrich Mateschitz began developing the product in 1984, and it reached the market in Austria on 1 April 1987. For 2025 the company reports 13.969 billion cans sold worldwide, up 10.2 % on 2024, with sales in 178 countries. Red Bull names its main production sites as Austria, Switzerland and the US.

For a shop, this means the classic can is available nearly everywhere. Editions are where a kiosk or petrol station can still stand out, because not every fridge carries them. That is the case for stocking them at all.

Which editions exist, and why does the range change?

Red Bull Germany's website lists eight editions, among them The Winter Edition, The Glacier Edition, The Peach Edition and The Sea Blue Edition, along with five sugar-free editions such as The Yellow Edition Sugarfree. The page is undated, so check it again before you plan an order.

Names and availability shift. That same page says The Glacier Edition was formerly called Red Bull Gletschereis and returned to shops in August, and that the former Summer Edition Sugarfree is now The Yellow Edition Sugarfree. About-drinks reported on 18 September 2024 that the Winter Edition Iced Vanilla Berry came to Germany for a limited time, in ice-blue 250 ml cans. In the US, Red Bull renamed that flavour Red Bull Iced Edition, as an update of 19 January 2026 states. One flavour can thus have different names and a different status in different markets.

How should you plan the season?

Treat an edition as a limited article even when a manufacturer does not say so. Buy in steps: one or two cartons to test, then reorders based on what the fridge tells you after two or three weeks. Watch best-before dates, and do not build a large stock of a flavour whose successor may already be announced.

Winter flavours sell best when the theme fits, so check our seasonal calendar for retailers when you plan the year. A small sign with the flavour name helps, because customers often search for a name they saw on social media.

What should you know about deposit?

Our Red Bull cans are single-use cans sold with German deposit. Since 12 August 2026 the legal basis has been § 46 of the Verpackungsrecht-Durchführungsgesetz. A can with the German deposit mark can only be redeemed in Germany. According to an IHK fact sheet (as of 2018), single-use packaging sold to end consumers outside Germany is not subject to German deposit, but the rules of the destination country apply, and the German take-back system may refuse cans without the German mark.

If you sell in another EU country, ask before ordering. We clarify per product and order whether German deposit is charged or taken out. Many countries run their own systems with their own marks; our guide on deposit drinks sold abroad gives the country overview.

What belongs on the label?

A 250 ml can of Red Bull contains 80 mg of caffeine, as the 2024 launch report restated. That equals 320 mg per litre, so EU labelling for drinks with more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre applies: German rules require the statement that the drink has a high caffeine content and is not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women, along with the caffeine content per 100 ml.

Check that this information appears in a language your customers understand, and that the rest of the mandatory food information does too. Our guide on labels on imported snacks and drinks sets out the general rules. If you operate a vending machine or sell near schools, check your local requirements as well.

What are parallel goods, and how do you spot them?

Parallel goods are genuine cans made for one market and resold in another. Inside the EU and EEA, this is often legal: under § 24 of the German Trade Mark Act, for example, a brand owner generally cannot stop resale of goods put on the market there by it or with its consent, unless there are legitimate reasons, such as a changed condition of the goods. That rule does not extend to goods first sold outside the EEA. Ask a lawyer about concrete cases.

Your practical checks: Does the can match your market in size and language? Does it carry the deposit mark for your country? Is a US size such as 12 fl oz printed on it? Is a responsible EU business named? Does your supplier state where the stock came from? An unusually low offer for a scarce flavour is a reason to ask, not to celebrate.

What does MDH stock?

We work directly with the manufacturers, and our goods are intended for the EU market. In the range are two items in 250 ml cans: Gletschereis-Himbeer, The Glacier Edition, with 24 cans per carton, and Iced Vanilla Berry, with 12 cans per carton. What is in stock right now is shown in the shop, and the line-up changes with availability.

Order full cartons with no minimum order value and mix them freely. In Germany delivery usually takes 24–48 hours, and we deliver to all EU countries. With a valid EU VAT ID you pay no German VAT; without one, 19 % German VAT applies and you can still register. Details are on the Red Bull wholesale page; your dealer account unlocks prices.

Sources

• Red Bull company figures 2025 (Red Bull, accessed November 2026)
• New Red Bull flavour in Germany, list of editions (Red Bull Germany, undated, accessed November 2026)
• Where is Red Bull Energy Drink produced? (Red Bull, accessed November 2026)
• Red Bull launcht die neue Winter Edition Iced Vanilla Berry (about-drinks, 18 September 2024)
• Red Bull Iced Edition, US market (Red Bull, updated 19 January 2026)
• § 24 Markengesetz, Erschöpfung (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• § 6 Fruchtsaft- und Erfrischungsgetränkeverordnung (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• § 46 Verpackungsrecht-Durchführungsgesetz: Pfand- und Rücknahmepflichten (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• Merkblatt Pfandpflicht (IHK, Stand 2018)