In this crazy world of inflation, nothing ever stays the same. Prices have been steadily rising for everything from the housing market to gas, and even food.

I hate to sound old, but I totally understand my grandparents now and every time they’d say “back in my day…” It’s something I’ve started catching myself saying whenever I see the price tags of things. And I’m only in my early thirties!

Photo: flickr/Mark Morgan

However, as everything seemingly gets more and more expensive, there is one thing that has stayed the same, and that is the large, 23 ounce can of Arizona Iced Tea which is still only 99 cents – the same exact price it was 30 years ago when it first hit store shelves. But how is this possible? What sorcery might be responsible for such a freeze on prices?

The answer is quite simple: The company doesn’t want to raise prices. In fact, the chairman and co-founder of Arizona Beverages – Don Vultaggio – has spoken about not wanting to raise prices like other companies.

Photo: flickr/Madeline

Vultaggio said to Today, “Everything (people are) buying today there’s a price increase on. We’re trying to hold the ground and hold for a consumer who is pinched on all fronts. I’ve been in business a long time and candidly I’ve never seen anything like what’s going on now. Every single thing has gone up, and I call it ‘from a paper clip to a too-big filling machine.'”

If you’re thinking that he has to be losing out on profits you’re absolutely right. By keeping the cost at just 99 cents, he’s making a lot less in profits. The cost of aluminum for the cans has doubled in recent years and distribution costs have gone up because of the rising cost of gas.

Photo: flickr/Rafael Castillo

But Vultaggio explained to the Los Angeles Times, “I’m committed to that 99-cent price — when things go against you, you tighten your belt. I don’t want to do what the bread guys and the gas guys and everybody else are doing. Consumers don’t need another price increase from a guy like me.”

Vultaggio, who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, started Arizona Beverages 30 years ago. Present-day Vultaggio co-owns the company with his sons, Spencer and Wesley.

What do you think of the company’s commitment to keep its prices where they are? Let us know!