(Bucks County, PA) Carbonated Soft Drinks account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States. However, twenty-first century consumers are seeking healthier alternatives reflected in the skyrocketing 19% sales growth in the natural and organic beverage industry reaching $1.5 billion in 2002. Recognizing consumer trends towards a healthier lifestyle, The Healthy Beverage Company ‘steazed the day’ and in January of 2003 reinvented soda by making it organic, healthy and nutritious – traits a soda could never claim before. Steaz Green Tea Soda, the original green tea soda, represents the genesis of a whole new category of sodas, a happy healthy marriage of green tea and soda. Dressed in urban chic packaging, and supported by successful distribution and effective marketing, Steaz successfully established a niche category in the soda market and earned The Healthy Beverage Company one million in sales by the fourth quarter of 2003 as well as numerous prestigious national awards.
“Our company started out as a dream of creating a healthier society one drink at a time, and as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,’ says Eric Schnell, co-founder of The Healthy Beverage Company. “Our success can be contributed to the combined passion and hard work of many parties including our brokers, distributors and marketers all of whom believe in turning our dream into a reality.”
Created by Eric Schnell and Steven Kessler, “The Healthy Soda Guys” and founders of The Healthy Beverage Company, Steaz and Diet Steaz are healthy, 100% natural and micro-brewed from the finest organic Ceylon green tea. Lightly carbonated and handcrafted to deliver our favorite childhood tastes, including cola, root beer, orange, raspberry, lemon dew, and key lime, Steaz Soda maintains all the fun and bubble of America’s classic favorites but without the health hazards of highly refined sugar, chemical preservatives, artificial colors and other additives. Steaz sodas are sweetened with organic cane juice, colored with vegetable juice, and contain all of the antioxidants normally found in green tea.
Following on the heels of the overwhelming success of Steaz Soda, The Healthy Beverage Company reinvented dietary supplement drinks in January of 2004 with the launch of their second product, Diet Steaz Sparkling Green Tea. Diet Steaz is a lightly carbonated, low calorie dietary supplement that is certified organic, fortified with Vitamins A, C and lightly sweetened with 5 grams per serving of organic cane juice. Diet Steaz offers a tasty low carb, low calorie alternative to traditional chemically sweetened diet products. Diet Steaz is available in three mouthwatering flavors Black Cherry, LemonLime, and Cola.
Steaz drinks are distributed nationally in partnership with Liberty Richter, the largest marketer of natural and specialty foods in North America boasting the largest sales and marketing team in the industry with experience in both the specialty food and mass market segments. Liberty Richter in conjunction with BIN, and Acosta’s Natural Specialty Sales team have successfully placed Steaz in the natural section of over 3,000 stores across the United States including Safeway, Kroger, Vons, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Wegman’s, Stop & Shop, Shaw’s, King Kullen, Dominick’s and Andronico’s. Steaz drinks are also available internationally in Canada, the UK, Mexico and Asia. With shelf placement in both mass market and natural stores, Steaz reaches a substantial cross-section of the millions of consumers who drink soda regularly.
The Healthy Beverage Company’s effective marketing campaign was created and implemented by Christie Communications, an international Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising firm, who successfully turned The Healthy Beverage Company’s philosophy of creating a healthier lifestyle into a reality. Through package design, website design, public relations, advertising and samplings, Christie Communications, with the support of Organic Works Marketing, helped Steaz Soda catch the attention of consumers nationwide. Steaz received rave reviews at various demos and celebrity driven events last year including ‘Barbeque and Beyond’ Hamptons benefit for the Maryhaven Center of Hope, the coveted Woman Ray event in New York City, Fashion Week – NYC, the New Port Summit, Broadway Under the Stars, the MTV Video Music Award Suites, and the American Music Award Suites. Steaz also received exposure in numerous national magazines including Time, Oprah, Entrepreneur, and Organic Style.
In addition to consumer praise, The Healthy Beverage Company’s revolutionary new products and passion for health and wellness earned the one-year-old company nine significant awards: Nutritional Outlook Magazine – Excellence in Manufacturing Award, Beverage Industry Magazine – Most Unique New Product of 2003, Entrepreneur – Best Businesses for 2004, Beverage Industry Magazine – Best New Product for 2003, New Products Magazine – Best New Soft Drink for 2003, Body & Soul – Best of Show, Bev.Net.Com – Best New Product & Best New Soft Drink of 2003, Health Products Business – Top New Beverage Product of 2003, and Nutrition Business Journal – Product Merit Award. Steaz Sodas are also recommended as a “Maker’s Diet Approved” product by renowned author Jordan Rubin, N.M.D., Ph.D., in his new book coming out this April titled The Maker’s Diet.
The ‘Healthy Soda Guys’ look forward to a successful 2004 with projected sales reaching four million dollars. “We have a lot of ideas in the works for the upcoming year and look forward to introducing healthy, nutritious, and delicious products to consumers worldwide,” concludes Schnell. Future plans include new Steaz aluminum slimcans, which can easily be packed in lunches, or distributed by school vending machines. With childhood obesity on the rise, replacing mainstream drinks with Steaz and Diet Steaz, which are kid tested and parent approved, can help kids avoid hefty amounts of sugar, artificial chemical and caloric intake but still let them enjoy the fun and bubble of lightly carbonated drink.. The Healthy Beverage Company also plans to introduce at least two new Steaz flavors, as well as delving into other varieties of tea-sodas such as white tea sodas.
To learn more about Steaz Green Tea Drinks, contact Eric Schnell, Co-Founder, The Healthy Beverage Company, MB # 356, 2865 S. Eagle Road, Newtown, PA 18940. Phone (215) 860-8180, fax (215) 860-8185, visit www.healthybeverage.com or call Christie Communications at (805) 565-4122.
Contact:
Diana de Lamadrid
Christie Communications
diana@christiecomm.com
(805) 969-3744
Eric Schnell
The Healthy Beverage Company
eric@healthybeverage.com
(215) 860-8180