Sweet Leaf Tea Company facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Beverage |
| Founded | Beaumont, TX, 1998 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | |
| Products | See products section |
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Number of employees
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43 |
| Parent | BlueTriton Brands |
Sweet Leaf Tea Company was a company that made organic teas and lemonades. These drinks were "ready-to-drink," meaning you could buy them and enjoy them right away. The company was started in Beaumont, Texas, in 1998 by two friends, Clayton Christopher and David Smith. For a while, it was owned by a larger company called Nestlé.
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How Sweet Leaf Tea Started
Sweet Leaf Tea began in 1998 in Beaumont, Texas. Clayton Christopher started it with $10,000. He used his grandmother's special recipe for homemade iced tea. This tea was made with real cane sugar.
In the early days, they brewed the tea in large pots, like the ones used for cooking crawfish. They even used pillowcases as "tea bags"! Then, they used garden hoses to move the tea into plastic bottles.
Growing the Company
In March 2009, a big company called Nestlé Waters North America invested $15.6 million in Sweet Leaf Tea. This helped the company grow even more. In 2012, Clayton Christopher, who was the boss, stepped down. Dan Costello, who used to work for Nestlé, became the new CEO.
In April 2010, Sweet Leaf Tea bought another drink company called Tradewinds Beverage Co. In 2012, Sweet Leaf Tea changed how they made their drinks. Instead of using freshly brewed organic tea, they started using organic tea concentrate.
Changes in Ownership
In December 2017, Nestlé Waters North America announced they were selling Sweet Leaf Tea Company. It was bought by a company called Dunn's River Brands. This sale included the rights to both Sweet Leaf Tea and Tradewinds Tea. It also included all the equipment at their factory in Carlisle, Ohio.
In September 2018, Dunn's River Brands sold the factory and its equipment. They partnered with Refresco Beverages N.A. This meant Refresco took over running the Carlisle, Ohio, factory. However, Dunn's River Brands still owned the rights to the Sweet Leaf Tea and Tradewinds Tea brands.
In July 2019, Dunn's River Brands faced financial problems and went out of business. The last batches of Tradewinds Teas were made that month. Refresco N.A. lost a lot of money in this situation. Because of this, they decided not to make Tradewinds Tea at the factory anymore.
In January 2020, the rights to Sweet Leaf Tea and Tradewinds were bought by a company called Purity Organics. The rights to Tradewinds Tea were sold again in early 2021 to Towne Club Bottling Co. Since May 2021, there hasn't been any official effort to start making Tradewinds Tea again.
What Teas and Lemonades They Made
Sweet Leaf Tea Company made many different kinds of drinks. Some of them were later stopped, which means they were "discontinued."
- Organic Original Sweet Tea
- Diet Original Sweet Tea
- Organic Mint & Honey Green Tea
- Organic Citrus Green Tea
- Diet Citrus Green Tea
- Organic Peach Sweet Tea
- Organic Lemon Sweet Tea
- Raspberry Sweet Tea
- Lemon Lime Unsweet Tea
- Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea
- Diet Mint & Honey Green Tea (discontinued)
- Diet Peach Sweet Tea (discontinued)
- Organic Mango Green Tea (discontinued)
- Organic Pomegranate Green Tea (discontinued)
- Organic Original Lemonade
- Organic Peach Lemonade (discontinued)
- Organic Cherry Limeade (discontinued)
Where Sweet Leaf Tea Was Based
Sweet Leaf Tea's main office was in the Penn Field Business Park. This area is in the South Congress part of Austin, Texas.
Sweet Leaf Tea first had its headquarters in Beaumont, Texas. In October 2003, the main office moved to Austin. In the mid-2000s, Sweet Leaf had its headquarters west of Downtown Austin. In 2007, they moved again to the South Congress area. In April 2009, the company started looking for an even bigger office space. By October 2009, Sweet Leaf announced they planned to move into a building that was good for the environment, called a LEED certified building. In December 2009, the company moved its headquarters to the Penn Field Business Park.
See also
- List of companies based in Austin, Texas
