Two years after being fully acquired by the Coca-Cola Co., Inc., Honest Tea has proven to be one of the most consistently innovative units of the cola giant. Since 2011, the company, which markets a line of organic teas and juice drinks, has introduced a number of new offerings including new stevia-sweetened lemonade and sweet tea products, a – short-lived – line of brewed cacao drinks, and, last September, Honest Fizz, a line of zero-calorie sodas.
Most recently, the company launched Honest Splash, a line of mid-calorie juice drinks that contain the same formulation as its Honest Kids line, but with packaging and branding that are designed for older children. The drinks will be sold exclusively at Target until the end of June.
While Honest’s booth at Expo West 2013 mostly served as a coming out party for Honest Fizz – the brand recently wrapped up a three-month exclusive at Whole Foods and is now distributed nationally – the company did offer a few sneak peeks of its Splash line, and showcased recently redesigned multi-serve bottles.
In this video, BevNET CEO John Craven spoke with Honest Tea co-founder and TeaEO Seth Goldman about Honest Splash and why the company chose to launch with an exclusive deal at Target, and how the brand fits into Coke’s bottling and distribution system. Goldman also dished on the response and interest in Honest Fizz from retailers and distributors at the show, and spoke about recent accelerated growth within the company’s core tea line.