AriZona Beverages founder Don Vultaggio touted the company’s newest drink collaboration with a young TikTok star as being more successful than its inimitable Arnold Palmer on “The Claman Countdown” Thursday.
“We’ve teamed up with a 9-year-old, and we hit the marketplace. And we’ve seen tremendous success,” Vultaggio told FOX Business anchor Liz Claman.
“Candidly more so than we ever saw in Arnold Palmer at the beginning,” the founder added.
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TikTok star Christian “The Rizzler” Savasta, who has more than 1.7 million followers, first gained attention for running around in a Black Panther costume. He has since partnered with multiple companies amid an influencer marketing boom.
The social media sensation first appeared on FOX Business to discuss promoting toy shopping with MGA Entertainment ahead of the holidays before teaming up with AriZona to make the “Rizzler Berry” Sparkling Juice Cocktail.
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Savasta recounted how he first felt when approached with the new opportunity.
“Well, my first reaction, I was like, I didn’t even — I was literally speechless because AriZona is like one of my favorite drinks,” the 9-year-old said.
Having worked with figures such as former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal and businesswoman Bethenny Frankel, Vultaggio explained how AriZona’s new drink collaboration began as an April Fools’ Day joke.
“My sons were involved in it, and they put it out there as, like, a tease. And then people got excited, and then we said, ‘Let’s do it,’” he recalled. “And we met Chris, and here we are.”
The beverage founder revealed AriZona sold “thousands of cans” in just a matter of weeks, calling Savasta a “strong negotiator.”
“We had lots of negotiation with him and his mom and his dad … and we came to a deal. Then he came out to the factory to visit the factory where we make it, and I met him for the first time,” Vultaggio said. “We formulated the drink together in the lab, and it all happened real quick.”
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He went on to address how President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian aluminum impact the prices of AriZona’s canned drinks, which had a signature 99-cent label, given that the company imports 20% of aluminum from Canada.
Aluminum prices recently hit a 3½-year high, Claman noted, adding it’s currently at about $2,830 per metric ton.
“At some point, don’t you have to bend before you break?” she asked Vultaggio.
“It’s been a pretty expensive year for us regarding buying aluminum,” the founder said. “But the good news is we’re offsetting it by selling more, and some of those things are within our control.”
Most of AriZona’s aluminum is recycled in the U.S., Vultaggio explained.
He showed no qualms about the family-owned business’ latest marketing venture.
“This is fun because it appeals to a younger audience, where some of those [previous collaborations] were more for older groups,” Vultaggio said. “I’ve gotten a lot of information from my children about this category, and we’ve played it up — and it’s working very well.”
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