Arizona Beverages, Brooklyn, is rolling out Arizona Iced Tea with Ginseng , apparently on a bet that ginseng is ready for a more mainstream market.
" Ginseng is a substance that has been used in herbal folk remedies for centuries," said the firm's chief operating officer, Mike Schott, adding, "It is natural, exotic and mysterious - making it the perfect partner for an Arizona product.
Company spokeswoman Francie Patton said the company's founding partners noticed "an excitement about ginseng in the inner city and urban areas where they've always done business." The product already has been introduced in several of the company's main markets and is expected to be in full distribution by summer. Patton said it is "doing extremely well" in the initial markets.
She noted that the flavor profile of the product is lighter and less sweet (80 calories per 8 oz. serving) than other Arizona Iced Tea beverages, and compared the taste to that of teas typically served in Chinese restaurants.
The product is packaged in 20-oz. cobalt blue bottles. Schott noted:
"We selected a blue bottle for two reasons. First, it makes an unmistakable statement of difference. Second, for centuries the color blue has been associated with mystery and healing - especially in the Orient, where ginseng continues to hold a position of power."
The bottles are fitted with neck hangers that provide consumers with some insight into ginseng 's history and lore. The copy on the neck hangers reads in part: "For centuries the root of the ginseng plant has been highly prized around the world as a panacea for good health. Ginseng is a Chinese word meaning 'man-root' and it is said that the more the root resembles a man, the greater are its powers.... In true Arizona style, we've combined the great taste of Arizona iced tea with the power of ginseng to bring you a truly refreshing and stimulating drink."
The label itself depicts a Native American medicine man riding a buffalo, becaause, thee company explained, most Native American tribes were familiar with a North American strain of ginseng and valued the plant highly.
According to Schott, the product uses a Siberian ginseng root, which takes about seven years to mature. It is harvested in Asia and processed in Germany. "
Ginseng grows on many continents," Schott said, "but experts prefer the Asian strains. We decided to go with the best."
Propelled mainly by packaging innovations, such as 20-oz. liquor-style bottles and tall 24-oz. cans with eye-catching graphics, Arizona Iced Tea has become in a few short years a $300 million beverage brand, currently trailing only the Snapple, Lipton and Nestl brands in the ready-to-drink iced tea category. And, Arizona's dollar sales grew by a healthy 395%, according to Nielsen's ScanTrack, for the 52-week period ending Sept. 10, 1994.
- SOURCE : Food Labeling News1995.03.02
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