Tazo

This article is about the tea distributor. For the 1990s fad game, see Tazos.
Tazo Tea Company
Subsidiary
Industry Beverage
Founded 1994 in Portland, Oregon
Founder Steven Smith[1]
Headquarters Kent, Washington,
United States
Area served
 Global
Products Teas and herbal teas
Number of employees
 Approximately 50 (2010)
Parent Starbucks (1999-present)
Website www.tazo.com

Tazo Tea Company is a tea & herbal tea manufacturer and distributor founded in Portland, Oregon, now a division of Starbucks based in Kent, Washington.[2]

History

Tazo (/tɑːˈzoʊ/) Tea was founded in 1994 by Steven Smith.[1] The manufacturing and distribution was maintained by North American Tea & Coffee, a Canadian-based food manufacturing company.[3]

Tazo approached Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in 1998, seeking further investment partners. The company was purchased by Starbucks in 1999 for $8.1 million.[4]

Starbucks opened the first Tazo-branded tea shop in November 2012.[5] It closed a year later and was converted into a Teavana store.[6]

Marketing

A selection of Tazo teas, showing the pre-2006 logo.

The company uses "New Age"-style marketing and product labeling. For example, every box of tea was once labeled as "blessed by a certified tea shaman" and an original tag line was "The Reincarnation of Tea."

Until 2013, the logo used the Exocet typeface, slightly modified. For example, the T in Tazo was changed for readability purposes in 2006 by sliding the cross-piece toward the top of the letter.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, Sam. (2015, March 25). "Steven Smith, a 'Marco Polo' of American tea, dies at 65," The New York Times. Accessed: March 29, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Tazo Tea Moving to Kent, WA; Starbucks Wants to Consolidate Operation". bePortland LLC. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ "North American Tea".
  4. ↑ "Starbucks will buy Tazo tea company". Puget Sound Business Journal. January 13, 1999. bizjournals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  5. ↑ Candice Choi; Sarah Skidmore (November 14, 2012). "Starbucks Buys Teavana". The Huffington Post.
  6. ↑ "Starbucks to open first 'tea bar' in New York City". New York Daily News.
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