Honest Tea’s sixth annual Mission Report updates the company’s efforts on its mission-related journey, exploring where the company is succeeding and evolving, and in a special, first-time section called “Real Talk,” tackling some areas in which the company has not yet achieved its goals. The company also launched a new interactive sourcing map in an effort to continuously improve transparency through all aspects of business.
“Honest Tea has grown sevenfold since it received its first investment by The Coca-Cola Company in 2008. The partnership with Coke has allowed us to not only dramatically increase our distribution but also our commitment to organic and fair trade suppliers,” said Seth Goldman, Co-Founder and TeaEO of Honest Tea. “Most corporate social responsibility reports take on the tone of cheerleading documents, but I find it more interesting to learn how a company is challenging itself. If we are being honest about the progress our world needs to make in terms of diet, nutrition, environment and gaps in economic opportunity, it’s going to take a lot more real talk.”
In an effort to further increase transparency around its products, Honest Tea has launched an interactive map on its website, detailing where 40+ ingredients used in its products are sourced. The map also spotlights some of the company’s more recognizable ingredients through videos, photos, and other extras that reveal the stories behind the farmers that grow them.
In 2014 Honest Tea purchased over 6.7 million pounds of organic ingredients, a 2.8% increase over 2013. However during the same time period sales volume increased 30 percent, demonstrating that as ingredients are sourced farther and farther out, multiple metrics need to be analyzed to provide a true picture of Honest Tea’s impact.
Honest Tea’s commitment to Fair Trade Certified ingredients also expanded in 2014, culminating in $200,124 in contributions via Fair Trade premiums, a 29% increase over 2013.
