How much is an AriZona Iced Tea in 2025? Founder addresses Trump's tariff plans as 99-cent cans face potential change in price

The brand AriZona Iced Tea's founder recently revealed they might have to increase its price from 99 cents for the first time in decades. In an interview with the New York Times this weekend, the company's founder, Don Vultaggio, explained President Donald Trump’s new 50% tariffs on aluminum might drive up the price.

Per Vultaggio, his company uses about 100 million pounds of aluminum each year for producing cans. Twenty percent of this comes from Canada. It is worth noting that the remaining eighty percent is recycled material in the U.S.

AriZona Iced Tea may have to raise the price of its iconic 99-cent can for the first time since 1997, as new U.S. tariffs on aluminum drive up costs.

Founder Don Vultaggio says he’s reluctant to make the change but may have no choice. pic.twitter.com/mVoh6RaIsf

— No Jumper (@nojumper) August 12, 2025

But with Trump levying the said tariffs on Canada have "dramatically bumped up" costs. Noting that AriZona could be forced to increase the price of its 99-cent iced tea, he stated:

"I hate even the thought of it. It would be a hell of a shame after 30-plus years."

"We’re successful, we’re debt-free, we own everything": AriZona Iced Tea owner about previously not hiking costs

According to Fortune, Don Vultaggio has previously refused to hike costs of the AriZona Iced Tea, despite inflation. Notably, since its founding in the early 1990s, the 99-cent price tag has been printed onto the cans. The outlet suggested the drink would cost $1.99 today to match the rising prices.

Addressing his decision during a June 2025 interview with Today, Vultaggio explained:

"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?"

The company previously found a workaround to increasing the drink's prices. This included dropping the cans from 23 ounces to 22 ounces. This, in turn, helped the company save on aluminum by changing the design of its lid. During a 2022 interview with CNN, Vultaggio revealed they also maintained the price by running the cans faster on the production line.

According to the NY Post, the company sells about two billion cans of its signature AriZona Iced Tea. Tallboys (the brand's 20 ounce bottles) make up half of those sales. The company boasts annual sales upwards of $4 billion, making it America's top-selling iced tea company.

Notably, AriZona has not run promotional or marketing campaigns for its drinks. Citing Vultaggio's interview with Today, the NY Post wrote:

"Our marketing was never built on anything other than just common sense. And a lot of guts. But it was guts from years of business. I’m a consumer, too. I like deals. I like sales."

However, Trump's recent tariffs could lead to changes in the price. Despite his best effort, "the consumer (was) going to have to pay the price," Vultaggio told The Times. Addressing Trump, he continued:

"I hope the administration understands and deals with the fact that if you’re going to protect American manufacturers, you can’t allow them to gouge the marketplace because of that protection. If I had Donald Trump’s ear, that’s what I would tell him directly."

According to 9 News, the company, however, plans to reduce the prices of its products bottled in plastic from $1.25 to $1 starting this fall. The price of its cans might increase if the tariffs don't change.

Meanwhile, AriZona refuted rumors that the cans are now being printed with a $1.29 price tag, per the outlet.