Canadian distributor quenches American thirst for Japanese tea
Published February 26th, 2008
VANCOUVER, Canada – Health conscious North American consumers are taking advantage of ever increasing globalization in their quest for the world’s healthiest natural food and beverage products.
Shoppers in 13 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces now have access to a newly branded 800-year old recipe thanks to a deal involving a Japanese supplier, Canadian distributor, and an American retailer.
Vancouver based EcoTrend Ecologics Ltd. (EcoTrend) today unveiled a major new distribution agreement with popular U.S. natural foods retailer Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI).
“We’re very pleased to be working directly with Whole Foods,” said John Harrison, EcoTrend founder and CEO. “This is truly an international success story.”
Under the agreement Whole Foods Market will retail EcoTrend’s exclusive DōMatcha brand Japanese matcha tea to health minded consumers in California, Washington State, Oregon, Nevada, Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Hawaii.
The deal also includes Whole Foods outlets in Toronto as well as four stores, formerly Capers Community Markets, in Vancouver, Canada.
DōMatcha Japanese Green Tea is a product of the Shohokuen Manufacturing Company, makers of authentic Japanese matcha tea for over three centuries and members of Japan’s Inner Tea Circle.
“This is the best of the best,” said Harrison. “You won’t find a healthier natural beverage anywhere on the planet.”
Laboratory analysis demonstrates one cup of premium DĹŤMatcha tea delivers the antioxidant equivalent of 8-10 cups of regular steeped green tea. Antioxidants are natural food compounds vital to human health.
First concocted by 13th century Zen monks, matcha tea today is known to help prevent infectious and cardio-vascular diseases, increase the production of calming serotonin, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and may even elevate metabolism assisting in weight loss.
Premium DōMatcha captured the retail imagination of Whole Foods’ regional tea buyer in Northern California, Dave Chavez.
“I’ve tasted a lot of matcha teas in the last two years, and I can say with confidence that DōMatcha has the best flavor and consistency of any I’ve tried,” said Chavez. “Our sales exploded when we started sampling out cold matcha smoothies in the summer.”
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