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Beverage maker Arizona, with its funky bottles of Raspberry Tea, Diet Green Tea and Botanical Red Tea, may soon be part of Coca-Cola's lineup.
Coke, looking for products for health-conscious consumers, is in preliminary talks with Arizona about a deal that could end up as an outright acquisition or a distribution deal. Two industry publications, Beverage Business Insights and Beverage Digest, have reported the discussions.
Coke and Arizona declined to comment. Beverage Digest quoted an unidentified source as saying chances of a deal are "at best 50-50." A deal would be complicated by a partnership Coke has with Nestlé to jointly sell tea products.
Lake Success, N.Y.-based Arizona is owned by founders John Ferolito and Don Vultaggio, who got their start distributing beer and selling a line of malt liquor.
Known for artsy packaging and offbeat marketing, Arizona's portfolio includes a host of tea flavors as well as juices and energy drinks.
The companies' discussions come as sales of regular colas are declining and big beverage-makers are looking broadly for products to appeal to today's health-conscious consumers. In addition to its discussions with Arizona, Coke is considering adding a tea called Enviga, designed to promote weight loss, which could launch next year, Beverage Digest reported.
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