OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- As consumers shake off the recent long, cold winter, iced-tea makers are primed to make sure the keep cool and hydrated this spring and summer, as illustrated by a bevy of iced-tea-related news to hit the wires this week. Here is a brief digest of what convenience retailers and consumer can expect:
Pure Leaf Introduces Tea & Lemonade
Just in time for summer, Pure Leaf Iced Tea, a product of The Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, launched its new flavor, Pure Leaf Tea & Lemonade. Pure Leaf Tea & Lemonade is made with a balance of real brewed black tea and just the right amount of lemonade.
Pure Leaf is available in 18.5-oz. single-serve bottles and a 59-oz. multi-serve chilled carafe. Additional Pure Leaf flavors available nationwide include Unsweetened Iced Tea, Sweetened Iced Tea, Extra Sweet Iced Tea, Iced Tea With Raspberry flavor, Iced Tea With Lemon (diet and regular), Iced Tea With Peach flavor (diet and regular), Not Too Sweet Peach flavor Tea and Not Too Sweet Honey flavor Green Tea.
Meanwhile, Pure Leaf announced it is continuing its partnership with Gail Simmons, TV personality and special projects director at Food & Wine magazine, to support the campaign's mission of bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to communities nationwide. Through the brand's "Share the Love of Leaves" program, Pure Leaf fans can get involved and make a difference in their communities by helping the brand donate up to $150,000 total to Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit that focuses on making fresh, healthy, locally grown food affordable and accessible to all.
"At its core, Pure Leaf uses real tea leaves to deliver an outstanding product with real brewed tea taste. We wanted to take our commitment to realness to the next level, and we found a great way by supporting access to wholesome foods," said Eric Whitehouse, marketing director, The Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership. "In partnership with Gail Simmons, our shared passion will raise awareness of Wholesome Wave's efforts and provide underserved communities with access to fresh produce through local farmers markets."
The center of the "Share the Love of Leaves" program is Pure Leaf's newly launched Tumblr page (www.TheLoveOfLeaves.com), which will serve as a destination for fans to follow the program and experience the brand's passion for realness through recipes, household tips, DIY projects and daily inspiration all while keeping an eye on how the donations add up through the summer.
A Small Miracle?
Little Miracles, an organic, tea-based energy brand sold in more than 25 countries and based in London, announced its official U.S. launch with nationwide availability of its award-winning collection of organic tea and fruit juice blends. The new beverages are designed for busy, on-the-go women who seek a natural and organic energizing boost.
"We've been listening to the market both here and abroad and are carving out a new category of all-occasion, functional beverages," said Laura Sauls, U.S. marketing manager, a consumer goods veteran who recently joined the company from ZICO Coconut Water. "We're pleased to bring Little Miracles beautiful tea blends to the American marketplace, as it is the evolution of what health-conscious consumers want in a beverage they can drink every day—organic ingredients you can trust, the magic of superfoods, and tasty, on-the-go refreshment."
In her role as U.S. Marketing Manager, Sauls will oversee the continued launch of Little Miracles into the U.S. market, leading the way in everything from honing its voice on social media and PR to establishing a fervent fan base through trade and grassroots efforts.
Available in four flavors, Little Miracles drinks are powered by ginseng and acai, which means you don't experience a spike and crash effect, according to the company. Sustained energy is also possible because the products contain no added white sugar but instead are naturally sweetened with agave. Each 11-oz. Little Miracles provides a healthy pick-me-up with less than 90 calories per bottle.
Become a Tea Master
TEAS' TEA, the award-winning ready-to-drink tea made by Brooklyn-based beverage company ITO EN (North America) INC., announced that its all-natural TEAS' TEA line is now available in Sprouts Farmers Markets. Starting this month, Sprouts will feature the following TEAS' TEA products: four unsweetened teas--Pure Green, Jasmine Green, Green White and Golden Oolong--and three lattes--Matcha Green Tea Latte, Black Tea Latte and Chai Latte--in 16.9-fl.-oz. bottles.
TEAS' TEA also has launched an online trivia game show to become a "tea master." Participants can enter every day at PlayTeaMaster.com to win a chance for a grand-prize trip to Hawaii and other daily prizes to include $50 gift cards to spend on outdoor gear and clothing at REI. Over 100 daily prizes will be awarded, with participants learning new trivia each day.
A Jolt From the North
Finally, Pierre Michaud, chairman of the board of directors of Canada's DAVIDsTEA, announced that Sylvain Toutant has been named the company's president and chief executive officer. Toutant will be responsible for all operations at DAVIDsTEA and will oversee the company's growth in Canada, the United States and around the world. He will also serve on the board of directors.
After joining VanHoutte in 2008, Toutant became president of retail and, subsequently, chief operating officer. Since 2012 and until recently, he was president of Keurig Canada, where he accelerated growth through a strategic alliance with Keurig Green Mountain in the United States. He also headed Keurig's operations in the United Kingdom.
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