| Honest Tea is getting a lot of
attention from the business world. Your growth rate has been pretty
remarkable. Could you talk a little about that?
We're excited that for
the second straight year Honest Tea made Inc. Magazine's list of 500 fasting
growing private companies. It's a nice milestone for any company, but it's
especially gratifying for one that seeks to create fair an honest
relationships with the environment and it's suppliers.
You've been described as a socially responsible business. What makes a
business socially responsible?
We think of ourselves as a company striving to be
socially responsible - - that is we try to be open and honest about the
challenges we face in addressing the way we interact with the environment,
out suppliers and our customers. Our socially responsible efforts take many
forms -- first of all our teas are much less sweet than other bottled
drinks. Since soft drinks are the single largest source of sugar in the
American diet, it's important to offer healthier alternatives. Next, all out
teas are USDA organic, meaning that we are not supporting the use of
chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which can harm ecosystems. Finally,
since tea is a drink consumed by some of the world's wealthiest societies
but produces by some of the poorest, we have the opportunity to create
wealth in economically challenged communities -- that's why we introduced
the first fair trade bottled tea.
What are two or three things you would suggest to a small company
starting out to be successful while following the highest business ethics?
Do something you care about -- if you are
concerned about the environment, create a more sustainable solution. The
more you care about the issue -- the more determined and passionate you will
be . And any entrepreneur needs to be totally driven and passionate. Just
remember that you need to stay in business -- so don't make decisions that
compromise your long-term viability.
What makes your tea different?
Organic, less-sweet, fair trade. The bottled teas
are brewed with real tea leaves, whereas most bottled tea brands use
extracts and powders.
How do you find that people respond to your tea when they first try it
compared to bigger name brands?
As long as they understand that it's not supposed
to be as sweet as the others they find it a refreshing alternative.
Tasting tea brings interesting words to mind to try to describe it. It
can be hard to describe a tea that you really like. What are some of the
more interesting words you've heard people use to describe your teas?
Light, clean and clear.
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Honest Tea has premium
tea bags and loose tea. |
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Honest Tea got to use some Hybrid Ford Escapes to showcase for Ford. What
has the experience been with them? Have you had a chance to drive one and do
you like it?
Our partnership with the Escape Hybrid has been a
great way to raise awareness about hybrid transportation. At first people
asked why a small organic tea company was partnering with one of the largest
corporations in an industry that consumes tons of energy -- but for us
it has been a great way for us to support Ford's step in another direction.
I love driving our Escape Hybrid -- it's even fun to be stuck in traffic
(how often can you say that?) and getting 50 MPG.
Do you get to travel to tea producing regions in different parts of the
world? That' sound like it would be the coolest job in the world!
Not as much as I would like. That would be a cool
job, but we've been so focused on surviving as a business, that I haven't
been able to travel much. I did go to Haarlem, South Africa with my oldest
son -- and I also went to the Crow Reservation in Montana to solidify our
relationship with our partners there -- you can read my journal of that trip
at our website. I haven't yet been to India, though I hope to to in the
coming year.
I see Honest Tea in a lot of stores in the Washington DC area, but not
all the chains. What should people do if they want their local store to
carry your tea?
I encourage everyone to ask for Honest Tea wherever
they shop -- we're a small company and it's the best marketing we have!
Anything interesting you folks have got planned in the next year?
Lot's of big plans for 2005, including our first
paid advertising efforts -- as well as some really fun new products -- too
early to talk much about them.
Are there any top secret Holiday flavors coming along for 2005?
We've just introduced a great new tea bag line --
the Chai is especially popular around the holidays.
What's your favorite flavor of hot tea? How about bottled cold tea?
My favorite tea bag variety is First Nation
Peppermint -- I'm partial to our Peach Oolalong in a bottle, though I love
Community Green after a good workout.
Anything else you'd like to mention?
This was fun, thanks for your interest. Best
regards, Seth
Thanks so much for your time!
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