Tea for Tat - a thought.

Now, I have to warn you - this post is not about food. It's about a larger issue, an issue within my field of work that I am VERY passionate about. And I'd like to share its importance with all of you.

Some of you know that I attended a conference in Minnesota this week sponsored by the National Cooperative Grocer's Association, NCGA. Last year I spent time with the "TeaEO" of Honest Tea, Seth Goldman, and he spoke about the issues of market innovation, consumer education, and reaching the masses with an amazing product. Honest Tea was the first organic bottled tea to hit the market back in 1998, providing a healthy, non carbonated, low sugar alternative to the beverage world, something that was missing. Seth returned this year as a keynote speaker to address us all as a collective with the same presentation to better educate us surrounding these challenges - and to address one very big white elephant in the room.

Honest Tea. Delicious, organic
fair trade tea.

Honest Tea has been at the center of an argument within the natural foods industry over their ever criticized sale to the Coca Cola Company in 2007 - a "red badge of shame", if you will, that many brand loyal consumers, businesses and co-ops still meet with disappointment and outrage. "How dare they sell out their company to corporate money? Their product cannot be trusted, what with Coke's dirty money grubbing fingers in the mix! BOYCOTT!" Yes, a popular view to be sure. Many co-operators (I know, it's a silly name for ourselves) still argue about this 6 years later. And the reasoning behind the fighting is this: can a company preserve their integrity and beliefs after becoming part of a larger corporate umbrella that does not necessarily share these ideals? Does their product retain the quality and ingredients they started with, or do they become suffocated by additives and cheapened with lesser ingredients to save the parent company money? Just how far do the fingers of the corporation really go?

I believe this falls, for a lot of people, under the idea of epistemiclosure, or the idea of only regarding facts around an idea or piece of knowledge that fits one's personal frame of reference (think Fox News watching, Christian-Republican, gun toting America as a stereotypical example - or tree hugging, granola eating, God-hating Liberal hippies as another.) Honest Tea is a company that has endured criticism, consumer fury and been shunned by many in the natural foods community for becoming part of this larger argument. BUT, consider this: they are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Coca Cola Company, meaning that Honest Tea is still in control of the majority of their company through stocks and Seth's management (only 40% of stock is owned by Coke - Seth himself owns the controlling stake of 51%.) So what they are NOT is a division under the large umbrella of Coke's ownership, meaning Coke is 100% in charge. Subsidiary vs. Division: this is important, people. Yes, Coke distributes their product, so naturally it leaves a slightly bitter taste in the mouth for some - but, where does that leave them as a company? From my standpoint, I see that Coca Cola is making an investment: by letting this successful smaller company specializing in organic and fair trade spearhead this social movement (with their brand name behind it, yes) that it sure does make Coke look a little less "evil", doesn't it? Obviously it matters on some level over the money, as Honest Tea does not rake in nearly the number of dollars Coke does - Coke is throwing their name behind Honest Tea for more fundamental reasons than most give them.

Tea(C)EO Seth Goldman speaking at a
National Beverage Conference.

And here is a real kicker. Since the "merger", Honest Tea has organically certified EVERY ONE of their products, save a few brand new ones from this year. ALL of their teas are Fair Trade Certified, EVERY ONE. They have gone from reaching 15 thousand stores to 100+ thousand stores. That is a 600+% increase in exposure of an organic, fair trade product to the masses. How is that a bad thing? This was done with money they gained themselves in sales of their products, not money from Daddy Coke. THEIR initiatives. And there's more. They are constantly pioneering new ideas and ways to better their business practices, through supporting the Just Label It! campaign (this is a HUGE DEAL - LOOK IT UP) and sourcing 100% fair trade cane sugar, of which is a big deal as sugar cane is a commodity that suffers highly without the certification. They started the National Honesty Index, where they poll the American populace openly to see how honest we really are (sadly my city, Seattle, was one of the lowest - maybe this year we will do better.) They also sponsor many huge recycling events known as The Great Recycle, making national news quite a few times. And it's all been done within the control of the exact same company, the exact same hands, the exact same standards that started in Seth's kitchen 15 years ago - Honest Tea's standards. Not Coca Cola's, Honest Tea's. Their money, their choices.

Why is this important to understand? Because it is clear that without proper saturation in the market, without exposure to customers that do not buy organic or fair trade, and without growth and support, a company cannot grow fast enough to keep up with the demand of 8+ billion people. Honest Tea has succeeded in doing this, all with a simple risk of becoming a part of a larger corporate umbrella. Personally, I agree with the decision they made in 2007, with this short essay as my reasoning. I am personally committed to this idea and I firmly believe in what I do, and I love doing it. I have the best job in the world: providing the people and families of my community with good health and education to better their lives and the lives around them, in a nut shell. I don't just sell food, I give knowledge. I give support. I give provisions for personal and social change.

So, in closing, would you support the cause of a company that believes in bettering the world through better health and consumer practices? Or would you turn up your nose to ignore the change made not only at the world consumer level but also at the world corporate level, just because of who's money is behind it?

I like tea. And recycling. And progressive change. So should you.


Extra info in the links below:

NCGA https://www.ncga.coop/
Just Label It! Campaign http://justlabelit.org/
Honest Tea http://www.honesttea.com/
Organic Certification http://www.organic.org/
Fair Trade Certification  http://www.fairtradeusa.org/