Who Makes Walmart's Great Value Apple Juice?

Walmart carries just about everything. It's a big box store known for selling goods like electronics, furniture, and even groceries. The chain's Great Value brand is a way for customers to fill their pantries with affordable products, though some products aren't worth the purchase. But Walmart doesn't actually produce all of these items. It has contracts with other companies to produce ingredients and products under the Great Value brand, including its ice cream and apple juice. The latter, for example, is actually made by Refresco beverages.

Refresco was launched in Europe in 1999; it was previously known as Menken Beverages, but a buyout resulted in a name change. The brand didn't show up in the North American market until 2017, when it purchased Cott Beverages, based in Canada, for $1.25 billion. At the time, Cott was producing drinks for Walmart, and Refresco continued that partnership. Today, Refresco's U.S. branch is based in Tampa, Florida. While Refresco and Walmart have had a years-long partnership, Refresco came under fire in 2024 due to a recall on Walmart Great Value apple juice.

Recalls in the food and beverage industry aren't unheard of; there have been some major recalls through the years. In August 2024, Refresco and Walmart issued a recall on Great Value apple juice due to the drink containing higher arsenic levels than allowed by the Food and Drug Administration. Specifically, the 8-ounce bottles sold in six-pack containers were taken off shelves. The FDA allows arsenic in products as long as it's under the 10ppb (10 parts per billion) mark, but Refresco revealed the levels were "slightly above" the FDA allowable amount. "We voluntarily initiated a recall ... when we became aware that previously manufactured product contained inorganic arsenic," part of Refresco's statement read (via CNN).

The FDA classified the recall as a class II, meaning the product could cause "temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences," according to the FDA. There are several types of recall categories, and class II is the second-most serious recall (behind a class I). Refresco works with other stores, too, and the recall ultimately expanded to a number of stores like Aldi, BJs, and Walgreens.