Sweet Leaf Tea Company

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Sweet Leaf Tea was founded in 1998 in Beaumont, TX by Clayton Christopher,{{Cite web |last=HOOVER |first=BRITTANY |title=Rawls College of Business hosts founder of Sweet Leaf tea |url=https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2012/04/28/rawls-college-business-hosts-founder-sweet-leaf-tea/15160946007/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal |language=en-US}} using $10,000 and his grandmother's recipe for home-brewed iced tea made with cane sugar.{{cite web|title=Sweet Leaf Tea founder to step down as CEO|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/business/sweet-leaf-tea-founder-to-step-down-as-ceo/nRrPB/|access-date=7 Oct 2013|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133513/http://www.statesman.com/news/business/sweet-leaf-tea-founder-to-step-down-as-ceo/nRrPB/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Sweet Leaf Tea History|url=http://www.sweetleaftea.com/history|access-date=7 October 2013}} Early production consisted of brewing tea in crawfish pots in Hen's kitchen, using pillow cases as "tea bags" and; then using garden hoses to transport the tea to plastic bottles.{{cite web|title=Sweet Leaf Tea History|url=http://www.sweetleaftea.com/history|access-date=7 Oct 2013}}

In March 2009, Nestlé Waters North America invested $15.6 million in the company. In 2012, Clayton Christopher stepped down{{Cite web |last=Harrell |first=Barry |title=Sweet Leaf Tea founder to step down as CEO |url=https://www.statesman.com/story/business/2012/09/01/sweet-leaf-tea-founder-to-step-down-as-ceo/9866043007/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=Austin American-Statesman |language=en-US}} as CEO and was succeeded by former Nestlé General Manager Dan Costello.Valdez, Andrea. [http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/how-brew-sweet-tea "How to Brew Sweet Tea."] Texas Monthly. Aug. 2009[http://www.getnside.com/atx/magazine/medical/072010/articles/1786-Sweet_Leaf_Tea_Brews_a_Recipe_for_Success/ "Sweet Leaf Tea Brews a Recipe for Success."] NSIDE ATX. July 2010

In April 2010, Sweet Leaf acquired Cincinnati-based Tradewinds Beverage Co.

In 2012, Sweet Leaf replaced the organic brewed tea used in the original recipes with organic tea concentrate.

In December 2017, Nestle Waters North America announced the sale of the Sweet Leaf Tea Company, which was a wholly owned and operated subsidiary, to Dunn's River Brands.

Dunn's River Brands partnered with Fireman Capital Partners to underwrite the purchase, and grow the new holdings company. The rights to Sweet Leaf Tea and Tradewinds Tea were included in the sale, along with all manufacturing and production equipment contained in the Carlisle, Ohio facility, where both brands were brewed, blended and bottled up to that point.

In September 2018, Dunn's River Brands spun the factory and the equipment within off in a sale and partnership with Refresco Beverages N.A. This partnership saw the day to day administration and operation of the Carlisle, Ohio site come under the control of Refresco, while Dunn's River Brands retained the brand rights to Sweet Leaf Tea and Tradewinds Tea.

In July 2019, Dunn's River Brands and Fireman Capital Partners' financial endeavor collapsed, and culminated in a bankruptcy for Dunn's River Brands and it's intellectual property holdings. The last batches of Tradewinds Teas to ever be manufactured were made that July. Refresco N.A. lost a seven figure sum in the failed investment, and subsequently refused any future efforts to restart production of Tradewinds Tea at the Carlisle, Ohio manufacturing facility.

In January 2020, the rights to Sweet Leaf Tea and Tradewinds were acquired by Purity Organics.

The rights to Tradewinds Tea would be sold yet again in early 2021, to Towne Club Bottling Co. There has been no official attempt to resurrect the production of Tradewinds Tea since May 2021.

Teas

{{Div col|colwidth=25em}}

• 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)

{{Div col end}}

Lemonades

• Organic Original Lemonade
• Organic Peach Lemonade (discontinued)
• Organic Cherry Limeade (discontinued)

File:Sweet leaf corp hq 2012.jpg

Sweet Leaf is headquartered in the Penn Field Business Park in the South Congress area of Austin, Texas."[http://www.sweetleaftea.com/#/contact_us Contact Us]." Sweet Leaf Tea Company." Retrieved on January 10, 2010."[http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2010/01/04/daily22.html Sweet Leaf triples space, adds flavors and new can]." Austin Business Journal. Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Retrieved on January 10, 2010.

Sweet Leaf originally had its headquarters in Beaumont, Texas."[https://web.archive.org/web/20010607205432/http://www.sweetleaftea.com/index/index.html Contact Us]." Sweet Leaf Tea Company. June 7, 2001. Retrieved on January 10, 2010. The headquarters moved to Austin in October 2003."[http://www.sweetleaftea.com/history History]." Sweet Leaf Tea Company. Retrieved on January 10, 2010. In the mid-2000s, Sweet Leaf headquartered in an area west of Downtown Austin."[https://web.archive.org/web/20060507100143/http://www.sweetleaftea.com/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Contact Contact Us]." Sweet Leaf Tea Company. May 7, 2006. Retrieved on January 10, 2010. In 2007, Sweet Leaf relocated to the South Congress area."[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-163545699/sweet-leaf-tea-relocates.html Sweet Leaf Tea.(relocates headquarters)(Brief article)]." Beverage Industry. April 1, 2007. Retrieved on January 10, 2010. In April 2009, the company began to look for a larger headquarters space. In October 2009, Sweet Leaf announced that it planned to move its headquarters to a LEED certified building during that month."[https://web.archive.org/web/20091206082126/http://www.prweb.com/releases/Green_Mountain/Sweet_Leaf_Tea/prweb2976254.htm Sweet Leaf Tea Purchases "Green Power" for Corporate Headquarters from Green Mountain Energy Company]." PRWeb. October 1, 2009. Retrieved on January 10, 2010. In December 2009, the company moved its headquarters to the Penn Field Business Park in South Congress.

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Category:Manufacturing companies based in Austin, Texas

Category:History of Beaumont, Texas

Category:Food and drink companies established in 1998

Category:Iced tea brands

Category:Nestlé brands