Exactly 15 years ago I turned on the Packard Bell desktop computer in my home office/guest room and started Honest Tea. My co-founder Barry and I had developed the idea enough that we felt it was a concept worth pursuing - we both invested our own funds and I left my marketing and sales position at the Calvert Group of socially responsible mutual funds. One of my first steps was to delete the Solitaire program on the computer - easily the most positive single key stroke in Honest Tea's history!
Now that our enterprise is nearly old enough to get its Learner's Permit, it's a good time to reflect on the journey and thank and congratulate all of the wonderful friends and partners who have joined us along the way. We have collectively created a powerful concept which (believe it or not) is still being formed. There is so much more to build and so much more to do - our tea party is just getting started!
Here's to the next 15 years, Honestly Yours,
A Sneak Peek at Honest Fizz
Although we aren't officially launching our newest drink line until March, we couldn't wait to share the word with our newsletter readers. Say hello to Honest Fizz, our naturally sweetened soda with zero calories and zero sugars. It's so-da-licious you'll wish we thought of it sooner! Honest Fizz comes in four varieties and is sold in convenient 6-can fridge packs, so they're great to throw in a (reusable, of course) lunchbag, or grab on the go! Pick up Honest Fizz at your local Whole Foods Market this month and look for it in other natural food stores starting in March. After cracking open a can, tell us what you think on Twitter!
2 Tips for Curbing Winter's Temptations
Winter can be a challenging time; it's tough keeping active while the weather isn't always pleasant. Then add in holiday meals and shorter daylight hours, and it can be difficult to keep on top of those health and fitness goals you made this year. Our friends at Activity Rocket--a local organization of moms in the Washington DC/Bethesda MD area--are dedicated to finding and sharing healthy activities for the family. They have a couple tips you might find helpful:
Keep your kids active
Bundle them up and get them moving outside with a hike. Hit the slopes for skiing or tubing. If it's too frigid outside, find a pick-up game of indoor basketball or hit an indoor pool - if they have water slide or diving board your kids won't want to leave. Even playing a game of Wii or Xbox dance or karaoke to keep your kids moving will help pick up your energy, lift your spirits, and help ward off winter blues!
Choose your treats wisely. Indulge for sure--but perhaps one dessert a day will satisfy that sweet tooth. Look for drinks made with natural ingredients or without a lot of added sugar (Honest Kids Super Fruit Punch is a great choice since it is fruit-juice sweetened and an excellent source of Vitamin C!). Keep plenty of cut fruit at eye level in the fridge, as well as easy to reach veggies with interesting dips. To read more of Activity Rocket's winter wellness tips for the whole family, click HERE.
Twitter Contest: #myhealthyeatingplan
Looking to start February with a fresh take on healthy, homemade dinners for the family? The Six O'Clock Scramble, created by cookbook author and busy Bethesda, MD mom Aviva Goldfarb, is a great resource for busy parents squeezed for time! The Scramble gives you a ready-made healthy dinner plan for the week, including easy recipes, side dishes and a grocery list. All Scramble recipes take 30-minutes or less to prepare and are family tested and approved!
We're giving away a free 6-month membership to The Six O'clock Scramble! To enter, tell us on Twitter how you are eating healthier in 2012--make sure to use the hashtag #myhealthyeatingplan. Must enter before February 28, 2013; winner will be notified via Twitter after promotion ends, limit one entry per person. To read more about The Six O'Clock Scramble click HERE!
How to Thrive (at a Big Company) After Acquisition
Can a mission-driven enterprise accelerate impact within a larger corporation? It's been almost five years since the Coca-Cola Company first invested in Honest Tea...so how are things going? Check out our TeaEO's recent blog post on Inc.com HERE.
Refreshment Just Got Bigger
We are excited to introduce some of our favorite varieties of Honest Tea, now in a 59oz bottle! Enjoy Just Green Tea, Mango White Tea, and our Lori's Lemon Tea in a size that fits your thirst--whether a small sip, or a large guzzle! The larger container size conveniently fits into your fridge door for easy storing, and has an easy-pour neck. Keep an eye out for these varieties, which have already hit the shelves of natural food stores nationwide!
Honest Tea is the nation's top-selling organic bottled tea company. The company seeks to make great-tasting, truly healthy organic beverages sweetened with less sugar and fewer calories than most bottled beverages. Honest Tea's product lines include: Honest Tea ready-to-drink bottled teas, Honest Ade and Honest Kids organic thirst quenchers, and Honest CocoaNova, a brewed cacao infusion. All varieties are USDA-certified organic and all tea varieties are Fair Trade Certified™. Since Honest Tea was founded in Bethesda, Maryland in 1998, the company has sustained an impressive double-digit annual growth rate. In addition to being named one of The Better World Shopping Guide's "Ten Best Companies on the Planet based on their overall social and environmental record," Honest Tea was also listed as one of PlanetGreen.com's "Top 7 Green Corporations of 2010," received Greenopia.com's coveted 4-Leaf Rating as "the greenest beverage company" for the third year in a row and was recently ranked by The Huffington Post as one of the leading "8 Revolutionary Socially Responsible Companies." Honest Tea is an independent operating unit of The Coca-Cola Company.
