IT’S TEA-RIFFIC!

Natural bottled tea satisfies void in
beverage market.

Offered in its trademark sophisticated glass bottle, with leaf embossed neck, New Leaf's package has a shrink sleeve that is vibrant, eye catching and unlike anything found in the market. The clean and sophisticated design coupled with the product's traditionally delicious, all-natural flavors is sure to make New Leaf the must have beverage. New Leaf is available in eight flavors of green, white and blue tea including White Tea Strawberry, White Tea Tangerine, White Tea Honey and Ginseng, White Tea Honeydew Melon, Green Tea Plum, Green Tea Ginseng, Blue Tea Lemon, and Blue Tea Raspberry. New Leaf is currently available nationally in specialty, gourmet, health and other fine retailers.

Marketers, analysts, business leaders and trend-watchers are always trying to predict what the public needs or demands and how to best create it for them. We say, if you are looking for answers imbued with style and grace, just turn to Eric Skae and you will find the remedy.

Eric Skae is the founder and Managing Director for New Leaf Tea, a division of Skae Beverage International. New Leaf beverages are a result of the need to fill a void in the beverage market. New Leaf was developed and founded by this entrepreneurial dynamo, Skae said, “Timing couldn’t be better for a refreshing new beverage to enter the marketplace. New Leaf is an all-natural line of teas, organically sweetened. The line has been created for the consumer who is looking for a healthy alternative to the saturation of non-nutritive beverage products currently available.”

After nearly fifteen years in the beverage business working with such companies as Arizona and Fresh Samantha, Skae found that the beverage market lacked a beverage that was both great tasting and good for you.
An avid tea drinker, Skae woke early one morning in 2003 and decided to blend his favorite brewed teas with various fruit flavors. Using family and friends as his tasters, the concept of New Leaf was born.

After nearly one year in development, New Leaf was launched in 2004. New Leaf is an all-natural line ofbeverages sweetened with evaporated can juice. New Leaf is currently available in three tea categories: White, Green, and Blue. The teas are currently available from Florida to Maine and Skae expects to have distribution in all 50 states within the next two years. “The response from distributors has been tremendous,” said Skae, “and we look forward to distributing New Leaf in Canada, too.”

With his natural ability to keep his finger on the marketplace pulse, Skae said, “We are developing a line of diet line extensions as well as two beverages in the Black Tea category, “said Skae.

Healthy AND Mainstream
In initial test marketing programs, the company sent out 7000 coupons for New Leaf tea products and the approval rating was ranked at a whopping 94%: the highest ever achieved in the category. The teas range from a green tea ginseng and blue tea peach to white tea strawberry and white tea honeydew melon. There is something for every purist to enjoy.

Because of its sophisticated nature, Skae Beverage embarked on a grass roots program to offer and test the tea among a select group of consumers. Working as an intern at the time, college student Catherine Daniel, developed a questionnaire for focus groups of students as part of her intern work. From the taste of the product to the presentation in the recyclable glass bottle, the product was an overwhelming hit.

Today, Catherine Daniel is the PR Manager for the company and it speaks volumes about Eric Skae’s ability to mentor and Daniel’s creative growth and commitment to the company.

As for the health-oriented aspect of New Leaf, Skae said, “Consumers today are going to grocery stores and convenience stores to purchase healthy foods. We offer a healthy product that is mainstream. “

New Leaf initially had a clean, classic look. Skae sought the advice of professional logo experts and graphic designers to create the current label. “We wanted to differentiate New Leaf from the other products on the supermarket store shelves, “ said Skae. The reaction all around to the label and bottle profile has been completely positive. “We are offering a premium product and the tea had to be presented in a glass bottle,” Skae added.

In seeking to expand the brand throughout the United States, Skae Beverage has received calls from entrepreneurs around the country who are interested in distributing New Leaf.

“We have one individual in Detroit who contacted us and is now distributing New Leaf. He had a background in selling phone cards to convenience stores, so he was familiar with sales to retail chains. We are willing to talk to potential distributors who want to contact us and through conversation we will drive people to make sure they are committed, “ said Skae.

An opportunity to work with Eric Skae would surely be a Master Class in the industry.
For more on New Leaf, visit www.drinknewleaf.com

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