Founder Speaks About Can’s 99 Cent Price

One thing about Arizona Iced Tea: it has been a staple snack drink in the Black community since the cans first hit shelves in the early 90s!

More than three decades later, it remains one of the few drinks to retain its $0.99 price tag. Its founder, Mr. Vultaggiois now clarifying whether he plans to keep the price of canned drinks under $1 or raise prices!

This is tea in a cheap canned drink

Don spoke about the topic in a new interview Today shared on Wednesday (June 26). NBC reporter Savannah Sellers asked Don why his company didn’t raise the price of cans of Arizona Iced Tea, suggesting it would increase profits. The founder kept his answer simple.

“We are successful. We have no debt; we own everything. Why?” Don replied.

Additionally, he added, “Why should people who have trouble paying rent have to pay more for our drinks?” For Don, their prices are probably his “small way to give back,” and he has no plans to increase prices, at least “not in the near future.”

Don shared: “We will fight as hard as we can for consumers.”

So here’s your answer, roommates. The 23-ounce Arizona Iced Tea canned drink will remain at the same affordable price of $0.99 as before. And it comes straight from the founder’s mouth!

Arizona Iced Tea started out as a humble family business.

For context, Forbes reported Don’s company earns about $4 billion a year from selling tea, juice, water and alcoholic beverages. Meanwhile, the man himself is said to be worth $6.6 billion.

But selling drinks didn’t always make him a BIG bankroll! In fact, this newspaper reports that Don started selling beer and soda out of the back of an old truck in the 1970s. He made a name for himself by serving his Brooklyn neighbors that others cannot do.

Then, in 1992, he launched Arizona Iced Tea from a warehouse in Brooklyn, featuring tall cans, flashy designs and low prices.

Now in his 70s, Don Vultaggio makes sure the business is family-oriented. His wife designed their signature canned drinks—turquoise with yellow accents and pink flowers.

Additionally, his sons are the brand’s creative directors and marketing directors. Don said working with his children was “amazing” and advised other parents to do the same. “I can see them anytime,” the founder shares.

Watch Don’s full interview about his Arizona iced tea business below.

Speaking of snacks and summer staples, the Food and Drug Administration recently recalled more than 60 ice cream products, including those from brands like Hershey’s, LaSalle, and Dolcezza Gelato.

RELATED: Uh-Oh! FDA announced a nationwide recall of more than 60 ice cream products