Honest Tea

Honest Tea is an organic tea company based in the United States. It was founded in 1998 by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company.

History

Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff founded Honest Tea in 1998. The idea for the company came about when Goldman, a graduate of the Yale School of Management, found a lack of healthy beverage options on campus. He teamed up with his professor, Nalebuff, to create a less sweet, more flavorful alternative to the sugary drinks on the market. The company was initially run out of Goldman's house in Bethesda, Maryland.

In 2008, The Coca-Cola Company purchased a 40% stake in Honest Tea, with an agreement to acquire the remaining shares at a later date. In 2011, Coca-Cola exercised this option, making Honest Tea a wholly owned subsidiary.

Products

Honest Tea's product line includes a variety of ready-to-drink teas, juice drinks, and organic soda. The company's flagship product is its line of organic, bottled teas, which are less sweet than most other bottled teas on the market. Other products include Honest Kids, a line of organic juice drinks for children, and Honest Fizz, a line of zero-calorie organic sodas.

All of Honest Tea's products are certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and are sweetened with organic cane sugar or organic fruit juice. The company is committed to using fair trade ingredients whenever possible.

Social Responsibility

Honest Tea has a strong commitment to social responsibility. The company sources its tea leaves from organic and fair trade certified estates in countries such as China, India, and South Africa. It also supports community development projects in these regions.

In addition, Honest Tea is committed to environmental sustainability. The company's bottles are made from 100% recyclable materials, and it has a goal to become a zero-waste company.

See Also

• Organic food
• Fair trade
• The Coca-Cola Company