How is Arizona Tea still 99 cents today?

Leah Stinson, Staff Writer

Arizona Iced Tea is one of the most well-known tea companies, sold in many supermarkets around the world. The eye-catching bright labels provide the cans with an easy way of recognition that has stuck with the company since its debut in 1992.

The original two flavors were lemon and raspberry, which later branched out to become the 14 flavors popular today, sold in grocery stores and gas stations across the globe.

One of the company’s longest promises was to never raise the price over $0.99, which it has stayed at since the product was launched. Don Vultaggio, Arizona’s founder and CEO, wants to keep the prices from increasing for as long as possible because he does not believe that customers need another increased price; he has stayed true to his promise.

A tweet once spread claiming that Arizona raised its prices for the 23 oz. can to $1.29, displaying a photo showing the “new” price tag. Arizona Iced Tea responded to this tweet debunking this theory stating that the can was bought in Canada so the price was shown in Canadian dollars, meaning the cost is still equivalent to the U.S. prices.

It might seem impossible for the price to remain the same – with today’s inflation rates, it should cost $2.10. However, Arizona has compromised by switching to cheaper ways to manufacture lids for the can and not relying on expensive advertisements to boost their products. Instead, Vultaggio claims that customer recommendations are worth more than paid advertising.

People are always willing to buy good quality products; Arizona has consistently proved their teas meet this high standard by the millions of cans sold and the years of honest customer service.