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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Fave U.K. Cake Mr Kipling Now in U.S. stores
Mr Kipling, the No. 1 cake brand in the United Kingdom and Australia, has arrived on U.S. shores. The array of high-quality, beautifully portioned cakes were stocked bakery shelves at 219 Target stores across the nation in April. Premier Foods will showcase its new cakes at IDDBA 2022.
Each cake slice is packed in individual pods to keep them moist and fresh. The portable packs allow consumers to take a well-deserved cake break anywhere, anytime; at home, at work, on the go or packed in a lunchbox.
Mr Kipling Cake slices are available in Lemon, Chocolate, Vanilla and Salted Caramel and are featured in the bakery section of Target stores. These patisserie-style cakes create a 100 percent incremental, low labor, freeze thaw snacking solution to the in store bakery section. The launch will be supported with sampling, outdoor advertising and a digital coupon campaign.
“Mr Kipling is the perfect fit for the U.S. market, filling the gap between consumers’ desire for high-quality sweet treats and the need for convenient, easy snacking formats,” said Diana Horwitz, U.S. country manager for Premier Foods. “Our research revealed consumers are wowed by the quality of our cakes and how fresh they taste, plus they loved their look – the European patisserie aesthetic. These beautiful cakes are perfect for a coffee break at home or easy to slip into a backpack for snacking on the go.”
The slices are now available in the bakery section of 219 Target stores in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin.
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Washington Wine Industry Launches Sustainable Certification
“From pest and disease management to sustainable water management, prioritizing worker health and safety and tracking various inputs, this program is environmentally sound, socially equitable, and economically viable,” said Sustainable WA Program Manager Katlyn Slone.
Red cheat grass blooming between vineyard rows, Ambassador vineyard, Red Mountain AVA, Washington
Sustainable WA is the first certified sustainability program built specifically for Washington vineyards. To achieve certification, growers must commit to sustainable viticultural practices and pass a third-party audit to ensure operations meet established standards. After initial certification, Sustainable WA vineyards require an audit every three years during which continual improvement must be shown.
“Sustainable WA is built on the tenet that sustainability is a journey and is dedicated to ongoing evaluation and continual improvement,” Slone said. “It takes a rigorous and balanced look at all pillars of sustainability without leaning too heavily on one. Balance is the priority.”
The program offers certification for vineyards with plans to add certification for wineries in the future. Wineries may utilize the Sustainable WA logo on wine labels to signify the wine is made with certified grapes.
“Data shows the demand for sustainable products to be high,” said Steve Warner, president of the Washington State Wine Commission. “This program is imperative for the future of Washington wine not only to ensure healthy, productive vineyards and wineries for generations to come, but also to remain relevant in the global marketplace.”
Sustainable WA is two decades in the making. The Washington wine industry created an educational sustainability program called Vinewise\Winerywise over 20 years ago, to be intentionally scalable for certification. In 2019, an industry committee made up of 40+ Washington growers, vintners, and marketing professionals built upon the existing program to create Sustainable WA alongside leading sustainability consultant SureHarvest. This year, a small group of volunteer growers participated in a Beta test to provide feedback before full launch.
“Sustainability is part of our culture and our nature. It’s remarkable witnessing the past 20 years from educational tools to a statewide program,” said Vicky Scharlau, executive director of Washington Winegrowers. “Sustainable WA was built entirely for this industry and by this industry. We are excited for the full launch this summer.”
Sustainable WA is a collaboration between the Washington Winegrowers, the Washington State Wine Commission, the Washington Wine Industry Foundation and the Washington Wine Institute.
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