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Ito En Expands Presence in Supermarkets |
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Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
Ito En has some good news for consumers looking to satisfy their taste for tea. The company’s tea beverages are now being offered at additional Kroger, Publix, Safeway and Wal-Mart supermarkets across the country. As a result, more than 6,400 additional stores nationwide will carry Ito En products. The expansion effort is a response to growing consumer demand for authentic green tea—especially unsweetened green tea beverages, the company says.
Ito En, known for its loose leaf and ready-to-drink green tea beverages, originally sold its product lines at specialty retailers and natural food markets. As consumer awareness of the health benefits of green tea grew, so did the demand for high-quality, green tea beverages. The company then broadened its distribution to meet consumer demand, moving into mass merchandisers and more mainstream grocery stores across the US.
"We're thrilled to be moving product into numerous Kroger, Publix, Safeway and Wal-Mart stores across the country," says Rona Tison, senior vice president of corporate relations for Ito En (North America) Inc. "Our expansion into more mainstream supermarkets shows how popular green tea has become in recent years. And with the growing body of research pointing to its numerous health benefits, the request for unsweetened green tea beverages is rapidly growing."
Product offerings at each supermarket will vary. Ito En’s product lines include:
• TEAS' TEA—the company's core brand of all-natural, unsweetened ready-to-drink green tea beverages brewed with premium whole loose leaf tea.
• Dr. Andrew Weil for Tea—a line of unsweetened tea products produced in collaboration with Weil, a leading expert in the field of integrative medicine. This line also includes a Turmeric beverage from Okinawa, known for it's anti-inflammatory properties and longevity on the island.
• Sencha Shot—a double brewed green tea beverage that contains five times the amount of catechins as normal green tea beverages and provides the recommended daily allowance of antioxidants in one serving.
• Natural Fruit Teas—ready-to-drink natural fruit teas that are brewed from premium, whole loose leaf teas with the added infusion of a touch of fruit. |
