Rooibee Red Tea

Rooibee Red Tea
Private
Industry Beverage
Founded 2009
Founder Jeff Stum
Headquarters Louisville, Kentucky
Products See products section
Website http://www.rooibeeredtea.com

Rooibee Red Tea is an organic bottled tea made in Louisville, Kentucky. It was started by Jeff Stum, who was a Brown-Forman executive when in 2006 he wanted to start his own brand offering a variety of teas spiked with alcohol. "After a year of experimentation", Stum felt he had "hit a wall" and "discovered that if he left the alcohol out of the tea, the stuff tasted great." The tea debuted in November 2009 and is "developing a devoted fan base" through a grassroots marketing campaign." Rooibee Red Tea was a food category winner in Garden & Gun magazine's Made in the South 2010 competition.[1]

Rooibee Red Tea is USDA certified organic, naturally sweet, caffeine and gluten-free, and rich in antioxidants. The tea is available in individual 12 ounce bottles and four-packs in gourmet grocery chains such as Whole Foods Market as well as online.

History

Rooibee Red Tea was created after founder Jeff Stum had been trying to develop an organic malt-based beverage, but instead saw a niche market in non-alcoholic red tea.[2] After gaining an understanding of how the rooibos leaf is fermented and developed as a flavor concentrate, Stum saw a chance to create a naturally-sweetened line of tea with few calories and a multitude of health benefits. Originally getting its start in local Farmers' Markets and by word of mouth, the tea was a hit among the health-conscious crowd in Louisville.[3]

In 2010, Stum hired Heather Howell, a past executive for Humana, as his "CTeaO," because of her 15 years experience with Fortune 500 companies. Also in 2010, Rooibee Red Tea was named one of Greater Louisville Inc.'s "Hot Dozen," an award given to locally owned companies that have had success in Louisville's entrepreneurial climate.[4] The company received nationwide attention when in late 2010, Garden and Gun Magazine named Rooibee Red the Food Category Winner in their "Made in the South Awards."[5] Today, the company has expanded to many states in the southeast, including Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas and all of the teas are available online.

Products

All flavors of Rooibee Red Tea are USDA certified organic, gluten-free, caffeine-free, rich in antioxidants, and have a one-year shelf-life.[6] All flavors in the line have less than 100 calories per 12 ounce serving, and can be consumed cold, over-ice, or heated. According to the Food and Beverage Reporter, "On the new labels, each flavor has its own color represented by a graphic shape inspired by the petals of the rooibos tea bush bud. Rooibos tea, also known as red tea, bush tea and redbush tea, is one of the hottest trends in the tea industry.".[7]

The most well-known of the flavors, Watermelon Mint, has earned multiple accolades in the tea industry. In the 2011 North American Tea Championship, Rooibee Red Tea's Watermelon Mint won the Ready-To-Drink-Flavored/ Sweetened Herbal category.[8] This flavor also won "Best Non-Alcoholic Beverage" at the 2010 Taste of the Bluegrass, an event that honors the best food and drinks from Kentucky.[9] Watermelon Mint was also reviewed by "SuperMarket Guru" Philip Lempert, who gave the tea a score of 91 based on taste, value, health, ingredients, preparation, appearance, packaging, and sustainability.[10] The Unsweetened flavor also provides a zero-calorie option in the line.

References

  1. ↑ Made in the South Award Winners page 5 Dec./Jan. 2010 Garden & Gun
  2. ↑ Former Brown-Forman Employee is Off to Strong Start With New Tea Line
  3. ↑ Rooibee Red Tea
  4. ↑ Greater Louisville, Inc. Honors Small, Entrepreneurial Businesses
  5. ↑ Made In the South Awards 2010
  6. ↑ Louisville's Own Rooibee Red Tea Makes its Mark
  7. ↑ Rooibee Red Tea, From The South
  8. ↑ 2011 Iced Tea Winners
  9. ↑ Central Kentucky's Best Food and Drink Honored at the 2010 Taste of The Bluegrass
  10. ↑ New Products Products Hits & Misses

External links