Pacific Natural Foods Simply Mate

Product Type:Tea: Alternative; Container: 16.9 fl oz tetra
BevNET Review: This is a pretty good effort on the part of Pacific Natural Foods, blending a nice base of yerba mate with lemon and ginger flavors. There are actual lemon and ginger juices in this USDA Organic product, which definitely add to the quality of the product. It is a sweetened product (with evaporated cane juice), but there isn’t all that much sweetness to the product. As a result, the 16.9 ounce Tetra Pak has 80 calories, which is certainly a manageable amount. All in all, we are fans of what’s inside this container. As for the container itself, well, we’re not really fans of the way that they’ve branded this product. The use of a box is a nice alternative to its glass and plastic competitors, but the design of the product isn’t overly appealing. A better design, especially one that helps whet the appetite and add some personality would certainly help this product out. Reviewed on: 5/18/2009

Product Type:Tea: Alternative; Container: 16.9 fl oz tetra
BevNET Review: Like the other flavors of “Simply Mate,” Peach Passion’s flavor is centered around a lightly sweetened base of yerba mate. It’s not as strong as some of the other brands that are out there, but it’s definitely something that could have mainstream appeal. Peach and passion fruit juice provide the fruit flavors and, thanks to the use of juice as opposed to flavoring, they are spot on. There’s a subtle fuzzy note to the peach, while the passion fruit adds a nice splash of tropical flavor. So, in terms of what’s inside of this package, they’ve done a great job. On the outside, the product is in need of a makeover, with the current style looking like an extension to one of their food lines rather than something that’s going to be able to compete in the ready to drink beverage market. However, if they can punch it up a bit with a look that’s personable rather than sterile, the use of a Tetra Pak seems like a decent approach to differentiating in the crowded tea category.Reviewed on: 5/18/2009

Product Type:Tea: Alternative; Container: 16.9 fl oz tetra
BevNET Review: If you’re a fan of raw mate flavor, this is a drink that you’ll definitely enjoy as Pacific Natural Foods has done a very nice job with this product. Packaged in a 16.9 ounce Tetra Pak that features a screw top cap, the product delivers an authentic tasting mate, complete with the earthy and grassy notes that you’d expect. They’ve sweetened it with a touch of evaporated cane juice, which adds just enough sweetness to satisfy the senses. On the exterior, the product fits with Pacific Natural Food’s other food products (they make things like soup and almond milk) by using a similarly-styled design. From our point of view, that leaves this product competing with the likes of Ito En’s Teas’ Tea and other beverage aisle products like that. If Pacific Natural Foods wishes to compete with products found in the cooler (e.g. Sweet Leaf, Guayaki, and Honest Tea), we think that they need to do a lot more with the package of this product. Reviewed on: 5/18/2009