Arizona Iced Tea

Corporate brand

American beverage company behind the AriZona brand, best known for brightly packaged iced tea and its long-running 99-cent 22-ounce can.

Last updated October 27, 2026

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Overview

Arizona Beverage Company, whose products are marketed under the stylized AriZona name, is an American privately held beverage producer headquartered in Woodbury, New York. The company is best known for ready-to-drink iced tea, especially its large 22-fluid-ounce cans commonly called “Big Cans” or “tallboys,” and for maintaining a highly recognizable value proposition around a suggested retail price of 99 cents in the United States. Retailers can set their own final prices, and the company also supplies versions without a printed price for accounts that use different pricing structures. The company’s roots reach back to 1971, when Brooklyn-based friends Don Vultaggio and John Ferolito established Ferolito, Vultaggio & Sons, a beverage-distribution business that delivered discounted beer and soda using a Volkswagen bus before expanding into a truck-based operation. The partners later moved from distribution into beverage production, including malt liquor. Their earlier experience with low-price distribution and mass-market packaging shaped the operating philosophy that would later define AriZona. After observing the success of Snapple, another New York-area beverage company, Vultaggio and Ferolito pursued a line of ready-to-drink teas and juice beverages. AriZona’s first teas reached the market in 1992. The name was selected for its association with Southwestern décor and visual warmth rather than because the founders were based in Arizona. Distinctive pastel colors, elaborate illustrations, and wide-mouth cans helped the new products stand out in a crowded beverage aisle. The initial visual identity was developed through contributions from the Vultaggio family and designer Jean Pettine; the green tea packaging became particularly associated with a cherry-blossom motif. AriZona expanded quickly. By 1993, its teas were available in multiple package sizes and in more than 30 states. By the end of 1994, the company reported distribution across all 50 states. It relocated its headquarters from Brooklyn to Woodbury, Long Island, in 1994. Product development broadened during the 1990s into sodas, root beer, additional juice products, and beer, although the carbonated beverage line was later discontinued as the company concentrated on the categories in which AriZona had stronger traction. The company’s core portfolio now includes sweetened and diet iced teas, green tea, black tea, lemon tea, fruit-flavored teas, juice cocktails, lemonades, sparkling and enhanced beverages, energy drinks, cold-brew teas, drink mixes, and alcoholic extensions. The Arnold Palmer blend of iced tea and lemonade has been one of the company’s most commercially important offerings since the 1990s. AriZona has become one of the most prominent distributors of the Arnold Palmer beverage format, and its Half & Half line helped make the combination familiar to a mass audience. Beyond beverages, the company has extended the brand into fruit snacks, chips and dips, ice pops, drink-mix products, apparel, accessories, and other merchandise. It has also developed partnerships and collaborations in fashion and youth culture, including merchandise collaborations associated with Adidas and Anti Social Social Club. AriZona’s packaging functions as both product identification and a collectible design system, allowing the brand to maintain visibility without relying exclusively on conventional national advertising. A defining element of AriZona’s positioning is the combination of large serving sizes, colorful design, broad convenience-store distribution, and an accessible price. The company presents its values as quality, value, and fun, while its family-owned structure allows it to emphasize long-term brand consistency. In 2015, following a prolonged ownership dispute, Vultaggio obtained full control after Ferolito’s interest was bought out. Current leadership includes Vultaggio as founder and chairman, David Menashi as vice chairman, Abid Rizvi as chief executive officer, Wesley Vultaggio as chief creative officer, and Spencer Vultaggio as chief marketing officer. In 2024, AriZona opened AriZonaLand at its large facility in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The visitor attraction combines a factory tour with a museum and gift shop, presenting the company’s product history, packaging, and founder story. In 2025, the company briefly considered whether tariffs and higher aluminum costs would require a price increase, but Don Vultaggio subsequently said AriZona intended to maintain its value-oriented pricing policy. As of 2026, Arizona Beverage Company remains active, privately controlled, and closely associated with the AriZona Iced Tea name and its distinctive large-can format.

History

Arizona Beverage Company developed from a Brooklyn beverage-distribution enterprise created by Don Vultaggio and John Ferolito in 1971. Operating as Ferolito, Vultaggio & Sons, the partners initially delivered discounted beer and soda to homes and grocery stores. Their early distribution model was deliberately practical and low-cost: they began with a Volkswagen bus and gradually built a fleet of trucks. This experience gave them familiarity with convenience retail, route distribution, price-sensitive consumers, and the importance of making products easy to recognize at the point of sale. During the late 1970s and 1980s, the business expanded beyond distribution into beverage production. The partners experimented with malt liquor, including Midnight Dragon and Crazy Horse. Those products generated attention but also controversy because of their advertising and, in the case of Crazy Horse, the use of the name of the revered Lakota leader Tasunke Witko. The Crazy Horse product became the subject of litigation involving descendants and representatives of Crazy Horse’s estate. The dispute formed part of the complicated commercial background from which the later AriZona non-alcoholic beverage business emerged. Around 1990, Vultaggio and Ferolito looked toward the rapidly growing ready-to-drink tea and juice segment. Snapple, which also originated in the New York area, demonstrated that flavored teas and juices could be sold as branded convenience beverages rather than as niche health products. The partners decided to create their own competing line. They sought to differentiate it through unusually large packages, bright colors, and artwork that would make the beverage conspicuous on crowded shelves. The first AriZona teas were introduced in 1992. Although the founders initially considered the name Santa Fe, Vultaggio selected Arizona because it evoked Southwestern style and looked better on the package. The visual identity was developed through family and design contributions. Eileen Vultaggio’s household objects reportedly influenced early package concepts, while childhood coloring books associated with the Vultaggio children helped inspire the green tea artwork. Designer Jean Pettine also worked on the early designs and promotional materials. The resulting cans used pastel colors, decorative illustrations, and a wide-mouth format that made them unlike conventional soft-drink cans. A central commercial decision was to sell a large serving at an accessible price. The original large can was marketed at 99 cents, creating a simple value message that became inseparable from the brand. AriZona’s products were distributed through convenience stores, grocery stores, mass retailers, and other high-volume channels. By the middle of 1993, several flavors were available in multiple sizes and the brand had entered more than 30 states. By the end of 1994, AriZona products were available across the United States, and the company moved its headquarters from Brooklyn to Woodbury, New York. The portfolio expanded during the 1990s. AriZona introduced a 20-ounce “Tall Boy” bottle in 1993, followed by sodas and root beers in 1995 and a beer product in 1996. The company later retreated from carbonated beverages after losing sales and iced-tea share around 1996. In 1997, AriZona increased its presence in national retail chains while shutting down its carbonated beverage production line. This represented an important strategic narrowing: instead of competing broadly across every soft-drink category, the company concentrated on tea, juice drinks, and adjacent beverages where its packaging, price, and distribution gave it a stronger identity. The Arnold Palmer combination of iced tea and lemonade became one of the company’s most important long-term product platforms. Available commercially since the 1990s, the blend connected AriZona to professional golfer Arnold Palmer while also fitting the company’s preference for familiar, highly drinkable flavor combinations. The company subsequently developed Half & Half, flavored variations, and alcoholic extensions such as Arnold Palmer Spiked and AriZona Hard. AriZona’s growth was supported by a distinctive approach to marketing. The company became known for relying heavily on packaging, retail visibility, word of mouth, product placement, partnerships, and cultural relevance rather than building a traditional advertising-heavy model. Its cans became recognizable objects in their own right, and successive designs allowed the brand to refresh its appearance while preserving a consistent visual language. Merchandise and collaborations expanded the brand into apparel, accessories, and youth-oriented fashion. The founders’ partnership eventually deteriorated. John Ferolito sought to exit or sell his interest, while Vultaggio resisted the sale of the privately held company to a larger beverage group. Litigation over control, valuation, and the treatment of the business continued for years. Court proceedings in New York addressed the dispute, and Vultaggio ultimately obtained full control after Ferolito’s interest was bought out in 2015. AriZona thereafter continued as a privately controlled, family-influenced company rather than becoming a publicly traded or multinational conglomerate-owned brand. In 2020, the company broadened its consumer-product range with fruit snacks, including Mixed Fruit, Arnold Palmer, and Green Tea varieties. Its broader product system now includes ready-to-drink tea, juice cocktails, lemonade, energy drinks, diet beverages, sparkling drinks, cold-brew teas, alcoholic beverages, powdered and liquid drink mixes, snacks, and branded apparel. In 2024, AriZona opened AriZonaLand at its 70-acre facility in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The attraction presents a factory-tour experience with museum-style displays and a gift shop, turning the company’s packaging history and founder narrative into a physical visitor experience. The 99-cent price strategy faced renewed pressure in 2025 when tariffs and aluminum costs raised concerns about packaging expenses. Vultaggio initially indicated that price increases might become necessary, particularly for large canned products. Shortly afterward, he said AriZona would continue trying to preserve its traditional value positioning. The episode illustrated the tension between the company’s affordability promise and the costs of aluminum, ingredients, distribution, and inflation. As of 2026, Arizona Beverage Company remains active and privately held, with AriZona Iced Tea continuing as its best-known product family.

2025
Company reaffirms affordability strategy
[13]Company reaffirms affordability strategytoday.com
After considering tariff-driven price increases, AriZona says it intends to preserve its long-standing value positioning.
2024
AriZonaLand opens
[4]AriZonaLanddrinkarizona.com
The company opens a factory-tour attraction, museum, and gift shop at its New Jersey facility.
2020
Fruit snacks introduced
[9]AriZona fruit snack launchsnackandbakery.com
AriZona enters the fruit-snack category with products tied to its tea and Arnold Palmer flavors.
2020
AriZona Hard launches in Canada
[8]AriZona Hard Green Tea launches in Canadamolsoncoorsblog.com
A 5 percent alcoholic hard-tea extension launches in Ontario and Western Canada.
2015
Don Vultaggio obtains full control
[12]Don Vultaggio obtains full controlen.wikipedia.org
Following a lengthy ownership dispute, Vultaggio buys out co-founder John Ferolito’s interest.
1997
Carbonated beverage line discontinued
[1]Arizona Beverage Companyen.wikipedia.org
After losing sales and iced-tea share, AriZona closes its carbonated beverage production line and emphasizes tea and juice categories.
1995
Sodas and root beers added
[1]Arizona Beverage Companyen.wikipedia.org
The company broadens its beverage portfolio with carbonated soft drinks and root beer products.
1994
National distribution and headquarters relocation
[1]Arizona Beverage Companyen.wikipedia.org
AriZona products become available in all 50 states, and the company moves its headquarters from Brooklyn to Woodbury, New York.
1993
Tall Boy bottle introduced
[1]Arizona Beverage Companyen.wikipedia.org
AriZona adds a 20-ounce bottle format while expanding tea distribution across the United States.
1992
AriZona teas launch
[2]AriZona Tea About Usdrinkarizona.com
The first AriZona teas reach consumers, using large cans, colorful artwork, and a low-price positioning.
1990
Partners target the ready-to-drink tea market
[1]Arizona Beverage Companyen.wikipedia.org
After observing Snapple’s growth, the partners begin developing a competing line of packaged teas and juice beverages.
1971
Ferolito, Vultaggio & Sons is established
[1]Arizona Beverage Companyen.wikipedia.org
Don Vultaggio and John Ferolito begin a Brooklyn beverage-distribution business delivering discounted beer and soda.

Products and positioning

Value-oriented, mass-market, visually distinctive beverage brand emphasizing large portions, accessible pricing, convenience-store distribution, family ownership, and playful packaging.

Ready-to-drink iced tea · 1992
AriZona Iced Tea
The company’s core product family consists of sweetened and diet iced teas in large cans, bottles, multipacks, and gallon jugs. Flavors include lemon, peach, raspberry, black tea, green tea, and other fruit combinations. The line is identified by colorful, highly illustrated packaging and by the long-running 99-cent suggested retail price associated with many large cans in the United States.
Green tea · 1992
AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey
One of AriZona’s signature products, this beverage combines green tea with ginseng and honey. Its decorative packaging, including the brand’s well-known botanical and cherry-blossom visual language, helped establish AriZona as a design-led mass-market tea brand.
Tea and lemonade · 1990
Arnold Palmer Half & Half
The Half & Half line combines iced tea and lemonade in a ready-to-drink format associated with professional golfer Arnold Palmer. AriZona has sold the blend since the 1990s and later expanded it through flavored variations, larger packages, and alcoholic extensions.
Juice drinks and juice cocktails · 1992
AriZona Juice Drinks
AriZona’s juice portfolio includes fruit-flavored drinks and juice cocktails such as Mucho Mango and other tropical or berry-oriented beverages. These products use the same large-format packaging and value-led distribution model as the company’s teas.
Energy and enhanced beverages
AriZona Energy and Functional Beverages
The company offers energy drinks, diet beverages, sparkling products, water-related drinks, and other functional or enhanced beverages. They extend AriZona beyond traditional tea while retaining the brand’s bright packaging and convenience-oriented positioning.
Alcoholic beverages · 2020
AriZona Hard
AriZona Hard is an alcoholic extension featuring hard teas, hard lemonades, and related fruit flavors. A Canadian launch in 2020 included a 5 percent alcohol-by-volume green tea product, followed by additional flavors and variety packs.
Powdered and liquid drink mixes
AriZona Drink Mixes
The company sells powdered mixer canisters, individual drink-mix packets, and concentrated liquid flavor products. These products adapt familiar AriZona tea, lemonade, and fruit profiles for preparation at home.
Fruit snacks · 2020
AriZona Fruit Snacks
Introduced in 2020, AriZona fruit snacks translate beverage flavors and branding into chewy snack products. Documented varieties include Mixed Fruit, Arnold Palmer, and Green Tea, with later retail listings showing additional flavor and package variations.
Branded merchandise
AriZona Apparel and Merchandise
The merchandise range includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, bottoms, bags, accessories, and other lifestyle products. Collaborations with fashion and streetwear brands have positioned AriZona packaging as a youth-culture and collectible design asset.

Controversies

2021
Kraft Heinz recalls powdered beverage products over possible metal or glass contamination
The Kraft Heinz Company voluntarily recalled powdered beverage products sold under the Country Time Lemonade, Tang, Arizona Tea, and Kool-Aid brands in the US because they may contain very small pieces of metal or glass introduced during production. The affected products have “Best When Used By” dates between May 10, 2023, and November 1, 2023.
Source
2020
Consumer sues Arizona Tea over alleged rodent in drink
A Vermont man sued Arizona Tea, alleging that he found a rodent tail in a can of tea and suffered physical and other trauma after drinking from it. The source describes the allegations in the lawsuit; it does not report a court determination.
Source
2010
Ferolito–Vultaggio ownership litigation
Co-founder John Ferolito pursued litigation concerning the ownership, valuation, and future of the AriZona business. The dispute lasted several years and ultimately ended with Vultaggio obtaining full control of the company.
Source
1992
Crazy Horse malt liquor naming dispute
A malt-liquor product using the name Crazy Horse prompted legal action by representatives and descendants of Tasunke Witko, the revered Lakota leader known as Crazy Horse. The plaintiffs argued that using his name to market alcohol was offensive and violated publicity and related rights.
Source
1980
Midnight Dragon advertising controversy
Before the AriZona tea business, the founders marketed Midnight Dragon malt liquor with sexually suggestive and provocative advertising. The campaign attracted public criticism and became part of the controversial history of the partners’ earlier alcohol business.
Source

2026AriZona Artist Residency
United States
The company established an artist-residency initiative offering studio access, materials, housing, exposure, and opportunities to work with AriZona designers and artisans.
Outcome. The program extends AriZona’s long-standing association with collectible packaging and visual storytelling into a formal arts platform.
Source
2024AriZonaLand
United States
AriZona converted part of its New Jersey facility into a visitor attraction featuring a factory-tour experience, museum, and gift shop.
Outcome. The initiative turned the company’s history, packaging, and founder story into a direct consumer experience.
Source
1992The Big Can value launch
United States
AriZona introduced large-format tea cans with bright artwork and a 99-cent suggested retail price. The combination of size, affordability, and shelf visibility became the brand’s foundational commercial message.
Outcome. The format became one of the most recognizable packages in the ready-to-drink tea category and remained central to AriZona’s identity.
Source
1990Southwestern visual identity
United States · Canada · International
The brand used pastel colors, decorative illustrations, and Southwestern-inspired design to distinguish tea cans from conventional soft drinks and competing tea products.
Outcome. Packaging became a primary marketing asset and a durable source of brand recognition.
Source
1990Arnold Palmer Half & Half platform
United States · Canada · International
AriZona commercialized the combination of iced tea and lemonade associated with Arnold Palmer and developed it into a major product platform.
Outcome. The blend became one of AriZona’s most prominent offerings and supported later flavored and alcoholic variants.
Source

Brand decisions

2025
Consider and then reject a broad price increasePrice change
Background
Tariffs and higher aluminum costs created pressure on the economics of large canned beverages, raising questions about the sustainability of the 99-cent positioning.
Action taken
Don Vultaggio publicly discussed a possible increase before stating that the company intended to maintain its affordability policy and hold prices where possible.
Aftermath
The episode reinforced the 99-cent price as a strategic brand promise while acknowledging that retailers may charge different prices and that input costs remain a risk.
Source
2024
Open AriZonaLandOther
Background
The company sought to make its brand history, factory operations, packaging, and merchandising directly accessible to consumers.
Action taken
AriZona opened a visitor attraction at its New Jersey facility with tours, museum-style displays, and a gift shop.
Aftermath
The company added experiential tourism to its consumer-marketing activities.
Source
2020
Enter the fruit-snack categoryProduct launch
Background
AriZona sought to extend recognizable beverage flavors and packaging into adjacent snack categories.
Action taken
The company introduced fruit snacks in Mixed Fruit, Arnold Palmer, and Green Tea varieties.
Aftermath
The launch expanded AriZona’s consumer-product range beyond beverages.
Source
2020
Develop AriZona HardProduct launch
Background
The company entered the growing ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage segment while leveraging existing recognition for its tea flavors.
Action taken
AriZona Hard Green Tea launched in Canada at 5 percent alcohol by volume, followed by hard lemonades, hard teas, and related formats.
Aftermath
The brand gained an alcoholic extension and a new route to adult consumers, particularly in Canada.
- Molson Coors — Molson Coors supported the Canadian launch and described strong early reorder activity from retailers.
Source
2015
Buy out co-founder John FerolitoM&A
Background
A prolonged dispute over ownership, valuation, and control divided the company’s two founders.
Action taken
Don Vultaggio obtained full control after Ferolito’s interest was bought out.
Aftermath
AriZona remained privately controlled under Vultaggio and continued operating outside the ownership of a major public beverage conglomerate.
Source
1997
Exit carbonated soft drinksStrategy
Background
The company experienced declining sales and iced-tea market share after expanding into several beverage categories.
Action taken
AriZona shut down production of its carbonated beverage line and concentrated more heavily on teas, juices, and related drinks.
Aftermath
The decision narrowed the portfolio around the categories most closely associated with the AriZona brand.
Source
1992
Launch the AriZona ready-to-drink tea lineProduct launch
Background
The founders sought to compete with Snapple and other emerging tea brands in the New York-area beverage market.
Action taken
They introduced flavored teas in large, brightly designed cans and emphasized affordable pricing and broad distribution.
Aftermath
The launch became the foundation of the company’s national beverage business.
- Snapple — AriZona was developed in part as a competing New York-area ready-to-drink tea brand, although a specific public response is not documented here.
Source

Recent events

2025
AriZona considers price increase amid tariff and aluminum-cost concerns[15]Consider and then reject a broad price increasenytimes.com
Pricing · Regulation
Don Vultaggio said tariffs affecting imported aluminum and other inputs could place pressure on the company’s long-standing 99-cent pricing approach.
2025
AriZona says it will maintain its value pricing[13]Company reaffirms affordability strategytoday.com
Pricing
After publicly discussing the possibility of higher prices, Vultaggio said the company intended to hold the line against inflation and preserve its affordability strategy for as long as it could.
2024
AriZona opens AriZonaLand visitor attraction in New Jersey[4]AriZonaLanddrinkarizona.com
Other · Campaign
The company opened AriZonaLand at its Keasbey, New Jersey facility, combining a guided factory experience with a museum and gift shop focused on AriZona products, packaging, and company history.
2022
AriZona’s 99-cent can remains a central brand promise[19]AriZona’s 99-cent can remains a central brand promiseaxios.com
Pricing · Other
Coverage examined how AriZona maintained the widely recognized 99-cent price for its large iced-tea can despite inflation and higher input costs.
2020
AriZona expands into fruit snacks[9]AriZona fruit snack launchsnackandbakery.com
Product launch
The company introduced fruit-snack products in flavors associated with Mixed Fruit, Arnold Palmer, and Green Tea, extending the brand beyond beverages.
2020
AriZona Hard Green Tea launches in Canada[8]AriZona Hard Green Tea launches in Canadamolsoncoorsblog.com
Product launch
A 5 percent alcohol-by-volume hard tea based on AriZona’s green tea profile launched in Ontario and Western Canada through a partnership involving Molson Coors.
2015
Vultaggio gains full control after long-running Ferolito ownership dispute[12]Don Vultaggio obtains full controlen.wikipedia.org
Lawsuit · M&A
Don Vultaggio obtained full control of the business after litigation and a buyout of co-founder John Ferolito’s interest.
AriZona explains the operating logic behind its 99-cent pricing[20]AriZona explains the operating logic behind its 99-cent pricingdrinkarizona.com
Pricing
The company described packaging, distribution, operating discipline, and restrained traditional advertising as factors supporting its value proposition.

Sources20 sources

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