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Greetings!
"Plan-o-gram" may sound like the newest board game to hit the toy stores this past holiday season, but it is no game at all in the beverage industry. A plan-o-gram is the organizational chart for a chain store's beverage shelf. And though I had no idea such a thing existed when we started twelve years ago, I've learned how important those official "sets" are for determining which brands and varieties occupy which shelves and coolers for the year. Read more about Honest Tea's Plan-o-gram scramble on Seth's blog at Inc.com.
Honestly Yours,
Seth & Barry
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WORK TO FIND A BETTER WAY
MLK DAY 2010.
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On January 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Honest Tea will be working with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNS) to encourage people across the country to get involved in volunteer service projects. It's the first event in a year-long collaboration between Honest Tea and CNS to promote service projects and civic engagement. In addition to donating cold beverages, we will also be sending out our own employees to participate as volunteers at select service events. "Over the past ten years my wife and three boys have developed our own family ritual for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday," said Seth Goldman, Honest Tea President & TeaEO. "We wake up and drive to a service project that we all can participate in - usually with City Year, Washington, DC. On the drive to and from the work site, we listen to recordings of Dr. King's speeches (my favorites are "If I had Sneezed", "the Drum Major Instinct" and of course, "I have a Dream"). By the time we get home, we're dirty, tired, and often covered with paint, but heartened that the day's efforts are one way for us to honor Dr. King's legacy with the work of our heads, hands and hearts. We're delighted to expand Honest Tea's longstanding support for national and community service to a national level."
To learn more about service projects in your area and how you can get involved, visit here.
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HONEST TEA EARNS LOCAL GREEN CERTIFICATION
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Our tea just got a little greener. Last month Honest Tea was among the first businesses and organizations in Montgomery County, MD to be certified under the County's new Green Business Certification Program. To be certified as a Green Business, a company must demonstrate its commitment to a rigorous program of environmental stewardship, conservation of energy and water, carbon footprint reduction, and waste reduction and recycling. As we look back at 2009, we switched to a lighter bottle which uses 22% less plastic, created a Sustainability Team that reports directly to our TeaEO and helps engage the entire company in exploring a wide variety of environmental initiatives, and started composting at our headquarters in Bethesda, MD. In accepting the award last month, Seth commented "We are honored to be among the first companies in our county to be recognized for our commitment to doing business differently. Montgomery County's certification system was quite rigorous and helped illuminate some ways for us to lighten our footprint." One of our Honest New Year's Resolutions? Bringing you even more sustainabili-tea! For a closer look at Honest Tea's completed application (pdf - 3 mb), click here.
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PACK A PUNCH IN YOUR LUNCH
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It's a bird; it's a plane; it's Super Fruit Punch ... for Honest Kids (and the kid at heart)! Goji berry, yumberry, pear and strawberry equals juices united to truly pack a punch in our new certified organic drink pouch variety, Super Fruit Punch. These four fantastic fruits combine their powers of refreshment to give kids a healthy drink that will keep them soaring through their day, from school to play. Our new superhero has about half the sugar of other kids' drinks, a full day's Vitamin C, and no high fructose corn syrup. And, although we can't promise x-ray vision or superhuman strength, we can promise defeat of your #1 arch nemesis - thirst! Look for Super Fruit Punch Honest Kids this February at Whole Foods, Target and select local grocery stores. We're just pleased as punch with this new variety, and we think you will be too! And don't forget to enjoy the rewards of healthy refreshment. Our new PouchPoints™ program allows you to earn points with each Honest Kids purchase, redeemable at: Honest Kids PouchPoints. |
JOINING A NEW CLUB - BJ'S
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Building on the success at club stores nationwide, Honest Kids is excited to announce its newest playground: BJ's Wholesale Club Stores. Rolling out this month to all US stores is the 18ct Honest Kids fridge pack - a perfect choice for parents and kids looking for a healthier beverage choice, and a "grab and go" option. The fridge pack includes 6 pouches each of Berry Berry Good Lemonade, Goodness Grapeness and Tropical Tango Punch, and comes at a value price of $6.99!
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AN HONEST READ
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The newest reading trend just got HONEST. We're excited to announce two new mini ebooks from our TeaEO, Seth Goldman, available this month at Barnes and Noble for $2.99 each. The first two minis available are "Guard Your Mission, Stay in Control" in which Seth describes the mentors he turned to as he managed the creation of Honest Tea and "Keeping It Honest, From Kitchen To Coca-Cola" where Seth describes the HONEST deal with Coca Cola and why it doesn't mean we're selling out; it means they're buying in. Download to your Nook, directly to your laptop, or your Kindle (starting February 1st) to read Seth's lessons and insights gained while building a leading mission-driven company. A percentage of profits from the sales of these ebooks will be donated to Bethesda Green, a non-profit promoting sustainable growth and living practices in Honest Tea's hometown.
As part of the launch, we're offering our HONEST fans the chance to win a free download. Visit here to enter now for your chance to win.
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TAKE OUR HONEST SURVEY!
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We always love to hear your HONEST feedback, which is why we've created a survey for you to share your thoughts and feelings about our Honest beverages. Click here to fill out this quick 5-10 minute survey and get a coupon for Honest Tea or Honest Ade. Thanks for letting us get to know you a little better!
P.S. Your feedback is anonymous and we will never share your information to any third parties.
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GUT REACTION
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In "Probiotics for Weight Loss?", Margaret Furtado, a dietitian and nutritionist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, reviews the importance of consuming probiotic bacteria through healthy foods, like yogurt. The human intestinal tract naturally has trillions of probiotic bacteria, which helps to limit the bad bacteria that promote weight gain, but lately scientists have been promoting the consumption of probiotics for weight management, too. This news comes just in time for our newest product launch, Honest Kombucha, in select Whole Foods now and rolling out nationally this March. Honest Kombucha is a lightly sparkling beverage brewed with organic, Fair Trade Certified™ tea, raw culture and a touch of organic cane sugar for an effervescent blend of active probiotic cultures, organic acids and polyphenols that detoxify and energize. It's not your typical Honest Tea, but we think you'll love it - let's call it a gut feeling.
Tingle Your Taste Buds - Sample Honest Kombucha at Whole Foods
Think you might be ready to give Honest Kombucha (and your taste buds) a whirl? Check it out at Whole Foods this month! We'll be passing out samples of our three low sugar varieties: Lemon Ginger, Berry Hibiscus and Peach Mango in Whole Foods for the next two months. The early feedback has been great! Honest Kombucha is not your typical Honest Tea - it's a lightly sparkling beverage brewed and fermented with active cultures and enzymes, which are believed to help aid in digestion and support a healthy GI tract. Look for our eager sampling team at your local Whole Foods store and give Honest Kombucha a sip - it's surprisingly addictive!
A listing of Whole Foods samplings is available on our website here.
If you plan on meeting up with our sampling teams at one of these events, please call ahead first just to make sure when we will be there! Our event schedule sometimes changes due to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you.
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LAST CALL FOR CITRUS SPICE - WE FOUND MORE OUT WEST! |
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For those Citrus Spice Decaf fans who are joining us in mourning the discontinuation of this item, here is your chance for one last taste. We've got a few cases left for the taking, at just $5 a case for those who can come to our Stockton, CA warehouse to pick them up (minimum 5 cases per order). Whether you're a devoted fan going through withdrawal or a decaffeinated tea lover interested in trying something different - this is your chance! To reserve your case(s), e-mail joanna@honesttea.com. Cases will be sold on a first come, first served basis.
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MAKE A STINK ABOUT TOXIC CHEMICALS
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Join our friends at Seventh Generation (maker of safe and nontoxic household products) in the Million Baby Crawl rally! Each virtual crawler represents a real voice in favor of reform of our nation's toxic chemical policies. Learn more about this important issue by visiting here.
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HONEST CONSUMER OF THE MONTH
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Tis' the season to be ... Honest! Our consumer of the month goes to Rhonda of Louisville, KY, for her transformation of our bottle caps into ornaments for her family tree! Rhonda told us: "They not only look cool, even when they spin around and you see the "organic" on the back of the top, but each time you read a quote and see the tree...it gives you a moment of pause to be thankful for what we have in life, and the wish to help others around us in our daily journey." Well said, Rhonda! We think Rhonda's ornaments are a great way to recycle and to decorate. We hope you enjoy your free case of Honest Tea and be on the lookout for new bottle caps in the year ahead... Happy New Year!
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SPREADING THE WORD
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We're not a secret anymore. Media from across the country are discovering Honest Tea and we couldn't be happier about it! Here are a few of our most recent mentions, but be sure visit our Press Page to get all the info.
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That's it 'til next time. If there's anything you'd like to know about Honest Tea, drop us an e-mail and we'll try to address it in an upcoming newsletter. Thanks for reading, and for drinking Honest Tea!
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