AriZona Beverage Company is a drink company that sells over 50 types of drinks, including diet, energy, normal juice, and of course tea. Their most popular include Green Tea and Mucho Mango, which you might’ve seen around the school or while you walk around in the streets. In this article I’ll talk about the flavors, the history, and how the price stayed 99 cents over the years (and why some stores have them as more than 99 cents).
History
The AriZona Beverage Company actually started in Brooklyn, New York in 1971, not in Arizona. They started as a beer distribution business, but switched to tea in 1992 because they were inspired by the company Snapple. The owner, Don Vultagglo, originally named the drink Santa Fe, but he thought it looked bad on the package so he settled on the name AriZona. Don has actually never been to Arizona, he just associated it with “a clean, healthy, and dry feel.” They launched AriZona iced tea using a 24 oz big can to stand out, instead of a regular soda can or the regular 16 OZ bottles Snapple used.
Flavors
AriZona has over 100 Flavors of drinks. Ranging from brewed tea to juice cocktails and alcoholic beverages.
The 99
AriZona is probably most known for the price, 99 cents. The simple answer to why the price stays at 99 cents is the founder founds ways to cut costs &
his commitment to the company. The company decided they are willing to make less money, because they already make enough. They also used thinner cans, simplified production, and delivered product at night to avoid traffic to cut costs. Even now, their marketing plays a big part in the price too, instead of big billboards, they use word-of-mouth & social media. They even have a skate team which is @drinkarizonaskate on Instagram.
Why Is My Store Selling AriZona For 99+ Cents?
Retailers can sell AriZona for any price they want. They can order unmarked cans (cans that don’t have the 99 cent label) and sell them for whatever price. For example, 7-11 sells them for almost $2, but they do have limited edition flavors. The 99 cent price tag is just a suggestion from AriZona. I say this loosely because I can’t confirm it, but supposedly you can report a store to the company if they sell it for more than 99 cents. Again I say it loosely, I don’t recommend it unless you do your own research.
Editor’s Note: AriZona Beverage Company can be contacted through their webiste at https://drinkarizona.com/pages/contact-us#contact-us-form .
Sources
Gauchat, B. (2024, July 9). Where is AriZona Iced Tea made? Hint: it’s not Arizona. Here’s what to know. The Arizona Republic. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2024/07/09/arizona-iced-tea-99-cents/73517864007/
Valinsky, J. (n.d.). The surprising backstory of AriZona Iced Tea’s name. cnn.com. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/27/business-food/arizona-tea-name-origin/index.html
Murphy, A. (2024, June 27). Arizona iced tea cofounder does not expect a price hike “in the foreseeable future.” Fox Business. https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/arizona-iced-tea-cofounder-does-not-expect-price-hike-in-foreseeable-future
Castrodale, J. (n.d.). Why AriZona Iced Tea’s price has stayed the same for 30 years at just 99 cents. Food & Wine. https://www.foodandwine.com/news/why-arizona-iced-teas-price-stays-at-99-cents
Peterson-Withorn, C. (2017, October 17). Inside Arizona Iced Tea: How Don Vultaggio beat Snapple, became a billionaire and nearly lost it all. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2017/10/17/inside-arizona-iced-tea-how-don-vultaggio-beat-snapple-became-a-billionaire-and-nearly-lost-it-all/
