“It’s not often that one person kicks off a whole new beverage category,” wrote Kerry Dolan in Forbes, “But Dietrich Mateschitz used his marketing smarts to conceive of Red Bull and then, through the drink’s success, jump-start the energy drink universe in the western world.” But in truth, two men had turned Red Bull into a powerful tribe and global brand.

It was actually Chaleo Yoovidhya–who had grown up on a duck farm in rural Thailand–who initially launched Red Bull under its Thai name Krathing Daeng in the 1970s. Chaleo, worked in Bangkok as a pharmaceutical salesman, eventually forming a company that produced antibiotics and cosmetics. At that time energy drinks were new in Asia, and were considered more of a medicine than a beverage. Chaleo made his own energy drink and branded it with twin charging red bulls with the sun behind them.

Thailand was industrializing in the 1970s, and its overworked truck and taxi drivers, and factory and construction workers embraced the drink. Chaleo began sponsoring Thai kickboxing matches, creating a lasting association between his energy drink and the brutal Thai sport and its popular athletes. He began selling the drink throughout Asia in the 1980s.

Then, while on a business trip to Thailand, Austrian salesman Dietrich Mateschitz was amazed at how the Thai energy drink eliminated his jetlag. There were no energy drinks in the west, and he immediately saw immense potential. He tracked down the reclusive Chaleo, and in 1984 they each agreed to invest $500,000 in the re-named “Red Bull”. They also carbonated the beverage and sold it in tall slim cans to make it look more upscale. At the time mainstream companies had no interest in sponsoring extreme sports athletes like snowboarders or cliff divers. So, Red Bull stepped in, coming to represent not just a beverage, but an exciting lifestyle.

Chaleo and Mateschitz became multi-billionaires. And today over 12 billion cans of Red Bull are sold each year. The powerful tribe they created consists of both Red Bull employees and also the extreme athletes they sponsored who became ambassadors of the brand. As Mateschitz said: “Don’t wait for opportunities to come knocking; create your own.”