“You incentivise people with health but you keep them with the taste” it is this quote by Seth Goldman, founder of Honest Tea, which encapsulates just why his brand is such a success.

Goldman founded his organic tea brand from his kitchen back in 1997 and in the years that have followed it has simply gone from strength to strength; his aptitude for entrepreneurship and innovation taking him and Honest Tea further than even he thought possible.

For an idea, so simple yet so effective has turned from just that – an idea- into a consumers favourite and now it is heading across the pond from the US to the UK.
Upon meeting Seth, it is his charm and passion which becomes evident right away. With an infectious smile and animated talking manner you can really see how much he loves what he does and believes in his product. This belief and this ‘down to earth’ quality has ensured that even when Honest Tea was bought by Coca Cola in 2011 it retained its core values of quality, fair trade and being organic.
“Throughout the whole journey, Honest has remained true to itself, with Seth saying “I don’t believe in shortcuts even if it could raise profits. It’s the right thing to do for the brand.”

So, what exactly is Honest Tea?
Honest Tea is an organic bottled herbal tea brand with a whole host of delicious and mouth-watering flavours including Orange and Mange, Pomegranate and Blueberry and our personal favourite, Lemon and Honey. Each contains brewed organic herbal tea, hibiscus, lemon balm and lemon myrtle, depending on the variant), organic fruit juice concentrates and each variant is sweetened with organic cane sugar

How did it start?
Seth wanted to create an ‘inbetween,’ finding that drinks either tasted great but were unhealthy, or were healthy and tasted not so great. He wanted to find the middle ground between super sweet fruit juices and plain water – and that is something he, and his co-founder Barry Nalebuff (Seth’s professor at the Yale School of Management) succeeded in doing.
The seed for the idea was first planted in 1994 during a class discussion of a Coke vs Pepsi study. They agreed there was a quantifiable amount of sweet options and lots of watery drinks but nothing inbetween. In 1997 Seth was on a run in New York with a college friend who used to concoct drinks with him after class. They found themselves doing the same beverage mixing after the run and he realised that if he was to get the product he really wanted, he was going to have to create it himself. He contacted his old professor who had just been to India analyzing the tea industry for a case study and found he had even come up with a name to describe bottled tea that was made with real tea leaves, Honest Tea!

Seth then quit his job and started brewing tea from his kitchen. He bought thermoses of tea and a recycled bottle with a mock up label to Fresh Fields (Whole Foods Market) the buyer ordered 15,000 bottles and it all went from there…

Heading across the pond
To celebrate the UK launch, ourselves and other UK tea influencers met with Seth in the courtyard of Look Mum No Hands – a quirky Shoreditch café and also a stockist of Honest Tea. Surrounded by greenery, sunshine and flowers, the nature and simplicity of the brand was encapsulated perfectly and set an ideal milleu for what the brand has to come.

It was here we had the chance to try all of the flavours and they really are delicious. They’re sweet, but not overpoweringly so and they’re undoubtedly refreshing. The flavours are matched to perfection and the consistency is just right. The packaging is enticing and aesthetically pleasing and the taste so good, it’s easy to forget you’re drinking something that’s healthy. We managed to grab ten minutes of Seth’s time and quizzed him on his interest in food and drink and just how he comes up with the delicious flavours…

Did you have an interest in food and drink before?

My main real exposure was only that I liked to drink beverages! At college I always loved mixing juices and even when I was younger at elementary school I used to sell lemonade at my local golf course. The motive for me was more that I had an interest as an activist doing what I care about. That’s what really drove it.

Why do you think Honest Tea is so popular?

It really connects with a lot of people are where their diets are headed – focusing on simple ingredients, less calories, lighter taste profiles and a more authentic understanding of where our produce comes from. I think also because the taste is so nice and clean and different and also the concept just works. The brand is simple and people seem to just get it.

How do you come up with the flavours?

Tea is the second most popular drink in the world, with a whole range of opportunities for flavour – almost infinite in fact. I am always in the kitchen trying new blends and tastes. Sometimes I pick up tastes when travelling and think of how I can blend this with something else. I get excited about different ingredients and love to challenge the team to make something good that tastes good!

Where would you like Honest Tea to go next?

I want it to work in the UK first. I have a philosophy that is you start to worry about what you are going to do next, you don’t focus on what you’re doing now.
In the US we’ve recently launched a new organic sports drink, so it will be interesting to see how that goes down.

Why did you choose to launch in the UK?

It was the choice of the folks from the EU head unit at Coca Cola.
The name translates well, we know there is a positive receptivity to tea and healthy ingredients and it seemed like a good logical move.

Honest Tea is stock ed at Co-op, select WH Smith locations, B/P Marks and Spencer connect stores, Whole Foods; and, delis and cafes across greater London.  Beginning 2017, Honest will be more widely distributed across the UK.
You can visit their website here for more information