Coca-Cola Spills the (Honest) Tea; Industry Reacts
In what Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman called a “gut punch,” Coca-Cola announced Monday that it would discontinue the Honest Tea line.
The announcement was “a gut punch to all the sweat, tears and incredible passion that went into building our beloved brand,” Goldman said in a post on his LinkedIn account.
“My thoughts are with our longtime partners and friends, the organic and Fair Trade partners who helped develop their communities and protect their ecosystems with the tens of millions of pounds of tea, sugar, and spice they sold us,” Goldman wrote.
“I am grateful for the hundreds of amazing people who helped Barry Nalebuff and me grow this idea from five thermoses and an empty Snapple bottle into more than a billion bottles sold.”
“A sad day,” Nalebuff commented as he shared Goldman’s post. “But tis better to have bottled and lost than never bottled at all. Seth Goldman remains an inspiration to me and to the world. His thoughts below show his empathy, positivity, and honesty. Wish I could bottle that, too.”
“I too am crushed,” Ironmonger Brewery co-owner Tom Larsen commented.
Chuck Muth, founder of Aqua Cultured Foods called Honest Tea a “tremendous product” that he was proud to represent as a board member.
“If Coke had any vision they would have focused on Honest as the better long term play in tea,” Muth commented. “All in all a sad day.”
Industry executive and author Joe Dobrow commented that “Honest Tea has been a godsend for millions of consumers and farmers. But it was also the key that unlocked your unrivaled vault of inspiration, helping launch and grow countless other natural products entrepreneurs and companies. And dare I say, their collective impact on the world probably dwarfs that of Honest Tea.”
Dobrow wrote that Goldman worked hard to mentor others and “gave them the vision, game plan, and advice they needed to help change the world.”
“I know Coca-Cola did much to accelerate the growth of Honest Tea,” Dobrow wrote, “and for that I am grateful. But when the final chapter is written in the history of the natural foods movement – no idea who that author might be – we must admit that this is were legendary brands go to die. RIP, HT.”
“Shocking!” Steven MK Fader, executive leader of operations and purchasing for Whole Foods Market. “Honest was the trailblazer in this category and has helped change the way consumers think about what they drink.”
In a press release issued Monday, Coca-Cola said it “is challenging itself to think differently about how its brands help accelerate business transformation, reflect consumer choice and promote growth as a company. This means rationalizing its lineup of drinks and prioritizing fewer, bigger brands with the greatest potential for scale and profitable growth.
“While the HONEST Kids portfolio is quickly growing and will remain a successful part of the business, the HONEST teas product line will be phased out of The Coca-Cola Company’s beverage portfolio at the end of 2022.“Gold Peak, a national brand, and the regional Peace Tea offering will now anchor the company’s ready-to-drink tea (RTD) strategy in North America,” the company said.
In his bio, Goldman said Coca-Cola acquired Honest Tea in 2011, “helping to further the reach and impact of Honest Tea’s mission by becoming the first organic and Fair Trade brand in the world’s largest beverage distribution system. Today, Honest Tea is the nation’s top selling ready-to-drink organic bottled tea and Honest Kids is the nation’s top-selling organic children/youth beverage. The brand is carried in more than 100,000 outlets in the United States, including Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s and Subway restaurants.”
In 2016, became TeaEO emeritus and innovation catalyst for Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands business unit. Goldman is focusing on building his “beloved/mission-driven brands” Eat the Change, Beyond Meat and PLNT Burger.”
Nalebuff is the Milton Steinbach professor at Yale.
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Macklemore Endorses Recovery Drink CLEAN Cause
CLEAN Cause, the Austin-based sparkling yerba maté beverage company, announced Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ben Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, as the brand’s first creative director and celebrity investor.
The partnership brings together CLEAN Cause, a beverage brand on a mission to support individuals in recovery, and Macklemore, who has long been an advocate for the power of recovery and candid about his struggles with substance abuse. CLEAN Cause, which ranks number two in the yerba maté category, donates half of its net profits (or 5 percent net revenues, whichever is greater) to funding sober living scholarships.
As creative director and investor, Haggerty will bring an inspired vision to the Brand’s mission along with providing artistic direction on a new limited edition CLEAN Cause can, digital editorial content, and music & creative direction for the Brand. Over the next year, Macklemore and CLEAN Cause will execute numerous campaigns including a Scan the Can initiative, where exclusive content will be available to consumers via a QR code on the product and POS.
“I chose to align with and endorse a vrand that is at the forefront of creating awareness for addiction and actively supporting the recovery community,” said Haggerty. “As creative director and a new investor of the already impactful brand, I am excited to combine my creative passions with a great product in an effort to save lives. Together, our goal is to inspire and educate individuals on addiction and support those who are in recovery.”
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Watch “CLEAN Cause: Drink to This.” Presented by Macklemore
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Asian Flavors Inspire Torani’s Newest Flavor
By A.J. Flick, Senior Editor
Leading flavor creator Torani raised a lot of eyebrows when it announced its inaugural Pourcast Flavor of the Year: Salted Egg Yolk Syrup.
But it brought a smile to expert bartender Ty Young’s face.
(c) J. Martin Harris Photography
“My dad is Chinese-American and my mother is Japanese-American,” said Young, who owns and operates Shaken & Stirred, a bartending staffing and consulting service in Tucson, Arizona. “I’ve grown up with Asian food from the moment I can remember eating.
“One of my favorite treats at dim sum is Harm Tarn Soh. The salted egg yolk taste and flavor are so distinctive that my mind takes me back to my time visiting Macau as a youngster,” said Young, who was event mixologist for James Beard Award-winning Chef Chris Bianco’s restaurants. “These pastries were actually created in France, but were brought to China during the spice and silk trading efforts by Marco Polo. The flavor took hold throughout China and Southeast Asia.
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“Our Flavor of the Year is the culmination of years of research and development and as serious ‘flavor geeks,’ we couldn’t be more excited,” said Torani CEO Melanie Dulbecco. “Torani is committed to delivering amazing flavor for all, and Puremade Salted Egg Yolk is an especially fun innovation that showcases our passion for flavor.”
Salted egg yolk continues to gain momentum and is used around the globe to enhance both sweet and savory cuisines and beverages, including ice creams, pastries, boba teas and potato chips – even McDonald’s french fries in Singapore. Salted egg yolk is often promoted leading up to Lunar New Year (Feb. 1 this year), with its signature golden hue signifying prosperity, a central theme of the holiday.
“Our research has shown consumers’ growing interest in salted egg yolk as a flavor, both abroad and within the U.S. in recent years,” said Andrea Ramirez, Torani’s consumer and customer market insight manager. “Not only is it delicious and versatile, but it’s a flavor that reflects the current culinary tourism trend in which consumers seek new foods and beverages from around the globe, even from the comfort of their homes.”
Torani Puremade Salted Egg Yolk Syrup was developed by Torani Flavor Scientists Melissa Dyandra, Mailyne Park and Lance Schwarzkopf. Their work on the lab benchtop included dozens of formulations before the team ultimately landed on the final flavor, which delivers an elusive richness, deep orange color and just the right amount of sweetness. The distinctive syrup is sweet and salty, making it perfect for milk teas, milkshakes, espresso drinks, cold brews and more. Like all products in Torani’s Puremade Syrup line, it is made with pure cane sugar, all natural flavors, color from natural sources, no preservatives and no GMOs.
Read the full story in the February issue of Gourmet News. Subscribe now so you don’t miss anything!