Before Arizona Beverages was a multibillion dollar company and produced one of the biggest iced tea brands in the world, it was actually just an idea in the head of a man from New York City. In fact, co-founder Don Vultaggio had never even visited Arizona when he decided to name his company after the state in 1992.
“I always associated Arizona with a healthy, clean, and dry feel that was different from the Brooklyn feel,” native New Yorker Vultaggio told CNN Business. While he initially saw some success in the malt liquor business, he ventured into tea when he noticed how well Snapple was performing. He originally thought to name his new company Santa Fe due to the style of his colorful home, but its unpleasant look on the can led him to instead call it Arizona. From there, the rest is history.
What sets Arizona iced tea apart
Even though the drink itself didn’t end up taking home the gold in our ranking of bottled and canned iced tea brands, we can’t deny that the most iconic thing about Arizona iced tea isn’t its taste — it’s the cheap price tag. Whereas a 16-ounce bottle of Snapple costs just over $2, each 23-ounce can of Arizona iced tea is priced at only 99 cents — the same price it was in the early ’90s. The reasoning behind not upping the price per can is simply that the company doesn’t need to. Arizona Beverages is able to keep production costs low enough by doing certain things like using thinner cans.
Arizona iced tea was launched with only two flavors to its name: Lemon and Raspberry. Today, Vultaggio’s drinks now compete against the likes of Arnold Palmer and Pure Leaf, offering roughly 200 flavors (including Southern-style sweet tea). No matter your preference, from green tea to blueberry or lemon, Arizona has a little something for everyone.
