H-E-B tightens the cap on Topo Chico sales due to glass shortage

The glass shortage impacting Topo Chico is leading to purchasing limits at H-E-B.

Albeit pretty generous (we feel) for the casual sparkling mineral water drinker, customers are seeing limits in H-E-B aisles and in the online store. The rationing isn't as the stringent water and toilet paper limits as customers experienced in the early days of the pandemic.

A representative for the San Antonio-based grocery company says purchases of single bottles are limited to 24 and multipacks are limited to four per customer — so, we think you'll survive.

"Topo Chico supply issues are due to a glass shortage, which is impacting the entire industry," the spokeswoman says.

The Topo Chico shortages were first reported in late July. It's unclear how long the H-E-B restrictions have been in place. However social media users, including the Facebook-powered StreetNews SA, which launched as sort of grocery phone tree at the start of the pandemic, is currently keeping the community abreast of restocks where they see them.

The sparkling mineral water brand has been a Texas favorite long before fizzing into the mainstream. Production of the Coca-Cola-owned brand remains in Monterrey, Mexico.

In September, a Coca-Cola spokeswoman told the New York Times the company is working on plans to keep seltzer savants satiated.

“Due to a deficiency in raw materials and the continued high consumer demand for Topo Chico, product availability has been impacted,” the spokeswoman told NYT in an email. “We’re working hard and implementing contingency plans to keep the products on shelves.

The kind of "raw materials" were not specified, but the glass issue is also hitting the liquor industry, Reuters reports.

If the limits are too tight for you, H-E-B also sells its branded 1877 mineral water product.