While the price for Hostess snack cakes, Twix candy bars, beef jerky, and even a Coca-Cola have gone up at your local gas station over the decades, one thing has always stayed just 99 cents: An Arizona Iced Tea.
While it may seem strange that the beverage company hasn’t looked to make more of a profit on what has become an iconic beverage choice for many who are on a long road trip or headed to the beach, Don Vultaggio, the cofounder and CEO, says he wants to do what’s best for his customers.
“We’re successful. We’re debt-free. We own everything. Why? Why have people who are having a hard time paying their rent have to pay more for our drink?” Vultaggio said in a recent interview with Today. “Maybe it’s my little way to give back.”
For 32 years, Arizona Iced Tea has sat at its iconic price point, and while the world is vastly different than it was when he founded the company in New York in 1992, the inner workings of the company haven’t changed.
The consistency with Arizona Iced Tea comes at a time when groceries, fast food, and almost everything under the sun have shot up in price. Some brands have even been accused of “shrinkflation,” where a price stays the same, but the amount of product is lessened.
That isn’t the case for Arizona, which continues to offer its drinks in 23-ounce cans.
Now, Vultaggio did share with Today that they have made changes at the company to accommodate for the rising price of goods, which has affected almost every industry.
“We make it faster, we ship it better, we ship it closer, the cans are thinner,” he said.
So, while some are videotaping their Chipotle workers to try and get a little extra chicken on their burrito, Vultaggio says he will do everything he can to keep prices where they are for his beloved drinks.
“We’re going to fight as hard as we can for consumers because consumers are my friend,” Vultaggio said.