AriZona iced tea has a Southwestern namesake, but it’s made in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge.
And with the “Willy Wonka-esque” AriZonaLand factory tour experience opening at the manufacturing facility in mid-October, fans can see how AriZona beverages make it to the 99-cent can in Middlesex County.
AriZonaLand will offer free, 30-minute factory tours with free samples of pre-released flavors at a new visitor center on the 70-acre campus. The center will also include a museum and a gift shop.
The tour features Instagrammable decor including antique cars painted in green tea flowers suspended 25 feet above-ground; cherry blossom-adorned corridors; a massive chandelier made from an old bottling filler; bright pink and turquoise tones covering the center’s museum and beyond; and walls that were wallpapered by AriZona Beverages founder Don Vultaggio.
“It’s a mishmash of color, vibrancy and action," Vultaggio said, "and people are going to be busy taking pictures. It’s unlike any factory that I have ever been in. ”
Vultaggio hopes that AriZonaLand will attract kids, students and adults alike.
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“We are going to have young people coming in from an educational point of view, too, to see how things are produced,” he said. “I think they’ll walk away with a view that manufacturing doesn’t have to be boring.”
AriZona Beverages opened the Woodbridge manufacturing facility in 2019 due to the township’s proximity to major highways and railways.
Vultaggio decided to open AriZonaLand after considering how consumers might enjoy seeing how the beverages are made, and also to help them become more involved with the brand.
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“I’ve been in factories all over the world and I get excited when I see my product running in a factory,” he said. “I thought if a guy like me gets excited about cans and bottles being filled, it would be interesting for consumers to see the same.”
Vultaggio founded AriZona Beverages in 1992 after he sold beer and soda from the back of a van in Brooklyn. His new company gained notoriety for its 99-cent, 23-ounce cans of iced tea and bright, colorful labels.
When he named it, he had never been to Arizona.
“I had a map on my wall in my office in Brooklyn and I was looking for the name of a place that was warm and health-conscious,” Vultaggio said. “It conjured up a good name that would appeal to someone who said, ‘Hey I’m thirsty, this can looks great and the name tells me maybe it’s a place I would go on vacation.’ ”
Today, AriZona sells $4 billion worth of tea, juice, water and alcoholic drinks annually, according to Forbes. The price of a can of iced tea is still 99 cents, and the brand has no plans to raise the price, Vultaggio said.
“You do things people expect manufacturers to do, like being more efficient without cutting quality and raising prices, but making investments so you can run faster,” he said. “All of those things play into having a pricing strategy where a company can be profitable and support their employees as well as give consumers a reason to buy it.”
Go: 1 AriZona Way, Keasbey; opening mid-October; visitarizonaland.com .
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, although she's a lifetime Jersey girl who considers herself an expert in everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State's buzzing downtowns. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun , please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone .
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: AriZona iced tea launches 'Willy Wonka-esque' factory tour in Woodbridge
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