Have you or your customers been looking for Nestea® and coming up dry? It’s not just you. All of Canada is in the same situation. Or are we? Mr. Dairy & Food Distributing Ltd. has the inside scoop on how you can quench your demand for this Ready-to-Drink beverage.
A Brief History of Nestea®
The Beginning
Did you know Nestea® was first introduced as an instant hot beverage in 1948? It took another 8 years for Nestlé to develop it into the first instant tea powder that was 100% soluble in both hot and cold water. It was fashioned into a ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage, bottled and distributed by Nestlé in 1969.
Teaming-up with Coca-Cola
When Nestea® was invented in 1948, most beverage wholesale suppliers and soft drink consumers around the world knew of the Coca-Cola Company. In fact, it claimed well over half the soft drink market at the time but none of the RTD tea market, which was not significant at the time. Then in the early 1990s, Nestlé’s stronger competitor, Lipton, teamed up with Pepsi to distribute Lipton Iced Tea. The RTD tea market began to grow, and Nestlé and Coca-Cola combined forces in 1991 to join it. As a result, Nestea® found its way into Canadian coolers and refrigerators.
The Joint Venture
Thanks to the partnership with Coca-Cola Nestlé’s Nestea® was distributed in Canada and 40 other countries. Under the partnerships, Coca-Cola handled the production and distribution and owned the Nestea® recipe.
The Separation
Nestea® was well received on the beverage market and was widely distributed by beverage wholesale suppliers to stores and restaurants; however, Lipton and other new RTD iced teas prevailed. The Nestlé Coca-Cola partnership dissolved in 2018, but Coca-Cola continued to produce and distribute the original Lemon Nestea® beverage as well as Lemon Zero Sugar, Raspberry, White Peach and Lemon Green Tea Nestea® until December 31, 2024.
2025
When the calendar flipped to January 2025, Coca-Cola ceased producing and bottling Nestea® in Canada and began bottling and distributing Fuze Iced Tea instead. According to a Coca-Cola press release Fuze® is “the exact same recipe, same ingredients, even sourced from the same suppliers, made at the same facilities here in Canada that we have been making Nestea at for decades.”
It is an interesting move, since Coca-Cola has been using a different recipe and distributing Fuze® in 40 global markets for over 10 years. Furthermore, they continue to do so, which means Canadian Fuze® is distinctly different from the other Fuze® iced teas on the global market.
To complicate matters even more, Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) Canada is planning to “manage the manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution, and merchandizing of the ready-to-drink product range of the Nestea brand across Canada.” What this will look and taste like, no one knows, but Canadian beverage wholesale suppliers should have Nestea in their trucks by summer 2025.
Stay in Touch with Your Beverage Wholesale Supplier in Toronto
Whether you’re looking for Nestea®, Fuze®, bottled water, or milk, contact Mr. Dairy & Food Distributing Ltd. for reliable beverage supply and delivery throughout the GTA. We’ve been in the business for 60 years.
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