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Tazo Tea – History and rise to popularity

Many people have become familiar with Tazo Tea through its relationship with Starbucks coffee. The flavorful and elegant tea has gained notoriety and is now available at most fine food stores, as well as exclusively through Starbucks Coffee. Many Starbucks even sell a variety of bottles of Tazo Tea’s line of cold drinks. Of those who have grown accustomed to enjoying a hot cup or even a cold bottle of flavored Tazo Tea, few are aware of the interesting history behind the company.

Believe it or not, Tazo has only been around since 1994; a very short time for a company to achieve such prominence in the beverage world. Tazo Tea was founded by Steve Smith, who retired from Tazo in 2006. Mr. Smith co-founded the company with Stephen Lee, who is still with them today. Tazo was an offshoot of his original company, Stash Tea Company, which was founded in 1972. In 1998, while seeking capital for his business through investors, Mr. Smith approached Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz about a possible suitor. Schultz fell in love with Tazo so much, that in 1999, Starbucks bought them in 1999 for $10.8 million.

Tazo’s success is liked by many in its vision of the product. They use a unique approach to market their product. Instead of a traditional logo and product branding, they use a new-age style. Each tea bag is said to be blessed by a “certified tea shaman”. This very original approach allowed Tazo to gain a lot of popularity in the tea market, which is filled with many giant corporations. Of course, it’s not all looks. The flavor of their teas is unrivaled. They use a special variety of teas and blends that allow the maximum flavor to be extracted from the tea leaves. Even now, Starbucks is switching its tea bags from the old Tazo formula to a new one that contains whole tea leaves. Tea drinkers will be delighted by the burst of flavor from the new type of tea bag.

Tazo has always prided itself on being the best teapot around. His vision has always been focused on the quality of his product. It’s why Howard Schultz, a man who knows a thing or two about hot drinks, bought the company just months after learning about the product from him. Fortunately, the purchase made it possible to introduce Tazo Teas to millions of people across the country and even the world.

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