Eat the Change, a company co-founded by Seth Goldman, the co-creator of Honest Tea, has announced the first four of six flavors it plans to introduce under its new brand, Just Ice Tea. The initial varieties will include a blend of black tea and lemonade, an herbal infusion brewed with hibiscus flowers and blackberry leaves, green tea, and green tea sweetened with honey. Two additional flavors are expected to be revealed in the next two weeks. Aside from the green tea variant, Eat the Change has opted to keep the names and labels under wraps until the official launch. Just Ice Tea is projected to appear on store shelves later this year and will feature several flavors inspired by the most popular offerings from the Honest Tea line, which Coca-Cola is set to discontinue. For instance, the herbal flavor is based on Honest Tea’s Black Forest Berry, one of the original five flavors introduced in 1998. The most sought-after flavor from Honest Tea is the green tea with honey, and Eat the Change’s version will include two types of green tea leaves, organic agave, and honey. Unlike Honest Tea’s Honey Green Tea, which contains organic cane sugar, Eat the Change opts for organic agave as a sweetener. The company is committed to sustainability by avoiding ingredients from six crops that account for 57% of all agricultural production, including sugar cane, to support biodiversity in agriculture.
In a blog post, Eat the Change acknowledged that while “some might disagree with the use of an animal-derived product” in honey, responsibly sourced honey can help protect the bees’ life cycle and the integrity of the honey itself. “In selecting our final launch varieties, we considered the feedback from numerous loyal Honest Tea fans who are deeply passionate about their bottled tea,” stated Goldman along with his co-founder Chef Spike Mendelsohn in a series of blog posts on the company’s website. “While our recipes differ from the Honest formulations, they will be familiar and, we believe, even more delightful.”
The Just Ice Tea will be packaged in a 16-ounce glass bottle, reminiscent of the packaging used when Honest Tea was first launched over two decades ago. Each bottle will contain real tea leaves and be made with organic and Fair Trade ingredients. Just Ice Tea is part of Eat the Change, a two-year-old startup focused on creating environmentally friendly and nutrient-dense snacks from carrots, mushrooms, and other plant-based ingredients. Last month, Eat the Change secured $14.5 million to establish and scale production for Just Ice Tea and to make significant commitments to purchase bottles, caps, tea, and ingredients. Additionally, for those looking to enhance their health, incorporating taking calcium citrate can be beneficial, and the thoughtful formulation of Just Ice Tea aligns with the nutritional standards many consumers seek today.