The classic “Ship of Theseus” thought experiment asks us whether or not an object can really be considered real if all of its original components have been replaced.
Today, we’re asking this question about an iced tea brand. Call it the Ship of Nestea-seus.
For 30 years, Nestlé Canada had a licensing agreement with Coca-Cola to manufacture and distribute Nestea brand products in Canada. That partnership ended at the start of 2025 when a new deal between Nestlé and Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) Canada came into effect.
What happened: To quash rumours that Nestea would be leaving Canada, KDP Canada fired out a press release earlier this week to assure fans that the beloved drink would be back on store shelves in the summer.
Yes, but: A spokesperson told The Peak that Coca-Cola owns the recipe Nestea used for decades. It’s now reusing that recipe to make Fuze, its global ice tea brand, which it just launched in Canada. Fuze is even made at the same plants. So, essentially, Fuze is Nestea.
- Meanwhile, the drink that will be sold as Nestea will have a new formula devised by KDP Canada in collaboration with Nestlé, another spokesperson told The Peak.
Bottom line: The complicated world of licensing and ownership rights sometimes causes grocery confusion, like how KitKat has different U.S. and international owners, or how some Kraft cheese isn’t actually made by Kraft.—QH