Cott-branded products are no longer manufactured in Canada, according to owning company Refresco whose communications officials were limited in their ability to comment on availability of Cott Black Cherry Soda. So, packaging prices are driving decisions made in the sugar and sweetener forward non-alcoholic beverages market, according to multiple sources.
“Refresco no longer manufactures Cott-branded products in Canada, so we are unable to provide information regarding the availability or discontinuation of Cott Black Cherry Soda in the Canadian market… The company does not disclose operational, sourcing, or commercial information and is continuing to monitor market conditions,” said the spokesperson.
The comments add context to recent reports from Montreal, where managers at Schwartz’s deli said canned Cott Black Cherry disappeared from its offerings around March 2026, citing elevated aluminum costs tied to US tariffs. At that deli, Cott’s soda has since been replaced with a Quebec-made alternative, Fleischer’s Original Black Cherry, according to an article cited by Expana.
However, it’s not clear if packaging costs completely shaped product and brand availability, or if other factors like demand and/or shipping played a role.
“The increase in aluminum can prices attributable to tariffs alone is put at 15–20 cents,” according to Expana’s Metals Market Reporter, Artem Segen.
“The resulting price increase in the final beverage will be marginal. The real issue likely lies in the rapid rise in aluminum prices and in the more advantageous procurement approach available to large corporations compared to craft beverage producers. Large companies purchase aluminum cans on a contract basis, giving them lower price volatility and a slower cost build-up that will only gradually be passed through to the end product. As a result, small beverage producers feel tariff pressure far more acutely and immediately, which squeezes their margins.”
Tariff costs have been a price driver in the packaging segment, especially for aluminum, according to Expana. However, there are some nuances to the trade and price environment, according to Segen: Aluminum cans are 70% secondary aluminum—and shielded from the current US-Canada tariff packages.
“If we look at Canada’s tariffs on aluminum from the US, they work as a mirror to US Section 232 duties. This suggests that secondary aluminum (remelted steel scrap) is not subject to tariffs,” he said. “Consequently, given that aluminum cans are 70% secondary aluminum, the entire discussion about… tariffs becomes moot. The issue is about high prices for secondary aluminum, which have risen due to demand in the US.”
So, while it’s still not clear the exact reason(s) for Cott’s exit from the Canadian market, it could be a hedging or risk management decision from Refresco—which owns other brands like Vintage Seltzer, Harvest Classic juices, and more.
“On grocery store shelves for more than 60 years—the iconic Cott® brand Black Cherry Soda is where it all began. This regional favorite is still found in Montreal, Quebec more than sixty years after its introduction,” according to Refresco’s website.
Image source: Shutterstock
Written by Ryan Gallagher and Artem Segen
