One of the solutions is our new seasonal flavor calendar.  We have created a series of seasonal tea flavors offered in limited production quantities.  It gives us the opportunity to create 4 new flavor combinations, but, it increases our product line offering by those four new items.

How do we offer more flavors and keep (and promote) our existing product line?

The answer came from our friends at Monin Syrups.

Last week, I was on the phone talking to Joe Smith, VP of Sales for Monin, discussing what we hoped to accomplish…more flavor combinations, no increase in SKU’s, etc..  Joe politely reminded me of some of the work they have done with coffee and with cocktails.

Perfect, an easy, existing solution!  We love those.

I went to their website, looked thru their product listings, and selected a handful of flavors I thought would be good to combine with our teas.  Joe put me in touch with Ari (pronounced air-E) in their customer service department, who took my call and then did the unbelievable…she talked to me.

She asked about our company and what we did.  She asked about our tea flavors.  She listened to the list of flavors I had selected.  And then she offered up a couple of her own suggestions.

I’m sure the conversation was more memorable to me than it was to her, but that’s because she exceeded my expectations as far as customer service was concerned.  She didn’t just take my order.  She engaged me.

Yesterday was my first day back in the office after some back-to-back business trips.  Normally I dread the first day back simply from a mail (snail and email) perspective.  But yesterday, sitting in my office patiently awaiting my return, was a package from Ari.

Obviously I was excited to see the flavors I had selected (personally, I can’t wait to try our ThirsTea unsweetened tea with Monin’s Pumpkin Spice flavor – it should be a holiday classic) but I was even more impressed with the flavors Ari had suggested.

What were they you ask?  For now at least, that is between Ari and me.

-Ray

Florida Restaurant Association

The FRA tradeshow is coming up next month.  Manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and operators will take over the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, from September 12^th–14^th.

ThirsTea will be there. We will be in Booth #1010.

If you are one of our customers, and you plan on attending this show, please send me an email (or call us in the office). We can help you attend this show for free. Yes, you read that correctly…FREE…as in $0.00.

Normally, the admission price to enter and walk the Exhibit Hall is $10,000 and your firstborn child. But, for a very limited time, we can get you in at NO CHARGE.

Seriously, I don’t know what the normal entrance fee would be, but we can help you save some coin this year. The economy has yet to rebound and we know operators are trying to save anywhere they can.

We want to help.

Want to see the latest trends in foodservice? Are you thinking about upgrading the equipment at your location and want to negotiate the best “show special” price you can? We can’t help with any of that stuff. But we CAN help get you in the door…for free.

All you have to do is stop by our booth and say “thanks”.

If you aren’t one of our customers but you are a Florida foodservice operator and you would like to attend the show…email or call us. We’ll offer you the same deal. But, in addition to stopping by the booth and saying “thanks”, you may have to sit thru an hour pitch on vacation time-shares. Just kidding, the pitch is only 30mins.

Call (561.948.5600) or email (info@thirs-tea.com) and we’ll give you the online address and discount code to register for free.

See you in Orlando!

I started another blog elsewhere on the web.  It’s called Foodservice Beverages and you can find it by clicking this link.

Why two blogs, you ask?  Well, it’s not because I had a ton of free time.  And it isn’t because I enjoy writing simply for the thrill of seeing my words on screen.  No, I wanted to keep two distinct thought processes.  Plus, I didn’t think it fair to burden our ThirsTea consumers with my thoughts on the industry’s ability to implement tools like social media into brand building.

The ThirsTea blog updates will contain information and thoughts about iced tea and foodservice beverages, but, the primary focus is how and why things affect our company.  We’ll also use the ThirsTea blog to keep you informed of new flavors, products, promotions and any relevant news directly related to the company.

My Foodservice Beverages blog will deal with the more general issues facing foodservice companies, specifically beverage companies, and how we can utilize tools like social media to help foster better communication between manufacturer, distributor and the end-user operators.

Our next ThirsTea update will be posted here shortly.  We have exciting things to share including some great new products and flavors we are working on, and some upcoming events where you’ll be able to meet with us live.  So please, check back often.

Thanks,

Ray

“Nothing great in this world has ever been accomplished without passion.”

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

At the BevNetLive conference in New York last month, I got to hear Rob Ehrlich of Rob’s Really Good and Pirate’s Booty put his individual spin on an old saying.  Rob made the comment that his goal was, “to get to the point where people can’t figure out if he was working or playing.”

Of all the things I took away from that conference, this one line has really stuck with me.  I have always tried to have fun at “work”.  Or rather, I have always tried to find work I thought was fun.  A lot of my employment decisions have been based more on the “challenge” or “fun” quotient rather than the “money” quotient.

When I was younger, my dad would say, “Whatever you end up doing in life, make sure you enjoy it.”  I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant at the time, or the ramifications of not enjoying my work.  I don’t think I had held my first real job at that point.  But, I knew my dad loved what he did for work.  He may not have enjoyed the company he was working for, or some of the things his employer required as terms of employment, but there was no doubt that he LOVED what he did.  As proof, he retired after 30+ years of doing the same thing week in and week out.

If you love what you’re doing, you will be passionate about it.  If you’re passionate about something, chances are you won’t be deterred or distracted.  You’ll learn more.  You’ll retain more.  You will find more ways of immersing yourself.  And, you will have more fun.

As an example, one of my all-time favorite football players is Joe Montana.  If you go back and look at some of the old video footage, Joe was always smiling, having a good time.   But his professional career almost never happened.

Joe didn’t get to play every game in college.  He spent a lot of time on the bench, backing up other quarterbacks.  Notre Dame used him sparingly, usually in the 4^th quarter when his team was down in points.  Montana would typically come in, rally his teammates and score points.

In 1977, during a game against Purdue University, the starting quarterback went down.  Montana was given the chance to come in with 11 minutes left in the 4^th quarter, trailing 24 – 14.  He threw for 154 yards and one touchdown.  Notre Dame won the game 31 – 24.

For his performance, he was named the number one quarterback on the depth chart and went on to win the remaining 9 games of the season and a National Championship the following year.

Coming out of college, the experts commented on his arm strength, or lack thereof.  He was not as tall as your typical quarterback and the experts felt he would have trouble seeing over his linemen and downfield.

None of that stopped him the minute he was given a chance.  He stepped up, delivered, and went on to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, winning the 4 Super Bowls he started in as quarterback.  He made it look easy, and fun.

The “haters” will say, “it’s easy to have fun when you’re winning and successful.”  That is true, to an extent.  The difference is if you’re passionate about, and love what you do, you will have fun even in the trying or challenging times.

But how do Joe Montana and his passion for football convert into passion for iced tea concentrates and foodservice beverages?

Easy.  Spend an hour with anyone on the ThirsTea staff.  Our employees, from our college intern to our office manager to our sales force, all have the same focus and passion for our products, our brand and our company.

We know, without a doubt, that we are the best foodservice beverage company in the marketplace.  Our products are operationally easy to implement.  They are great tasting beverages, made from high quality ingredients.  And they will help improve profit margins in any beverage program.

We aren’t number one in our category…yet.  We have had (and continue to have) challenges like everyone else in the industry.  But, the team we have put together is committed to becoming the best.  Sure, it has been difficult at times.  But we continue to make quantifiable progress with our customers, our distributors and our supplier partners.

Overnight success takes years of commitment and hard work.  Along the way, you need to make sure everyone is having fun.

Martini Friday’s anyone?  This week’s special will be Passion Fruit.

Ray Welch

President

We talk about marketing and branding tea concentrates, especially our ThirsTea brand of iced tea concentrates.  Last week I was in New York, attending the BevNet Live event learning more about my craft.

For those not familiar with the event, it is a trade only conference that brings together brand owners, executives and beverage experts.  For two days we are treated to the insight and experience of others who have “been there, done that.”  We are talking some of the most influential people in the industry, sharing from their personal experience and discussing what they see as our industry’s next trends and challenges.

I had already written this week’s update on marketing and advertising, sharing some of what we went thru last week on a last minute print advertising campaign.  I will post that one next week.

Inspired by the conference, I decided to write about execution.  Not the “firing squad” execution in Utah, which seems to be getting ever closer to happening.  No, I want to talk about execution of a plan or strategy.

No matter how good a business plan or marketing strategy is, if your people can’t execute the plan you are going to fail.

If your business plan is so complex no one can understand it, you are not going to get funding.  If your strategy involves too many people doing too many things, it won’t be successful.

Focus on the execution part of your plan WHILE you are building and developing it, keeping the objectives simple (to understand, if not simple in nature) and your chances of success grow exponentially.

The mortality rate for new brands in our industry is 80%.  Most beverage brands won’t survive long enough to become a long-term success.  Why?

The simple answer is execution.  These new brands fail to build a program that can sustain itself.  The goals and objectives are too broad or too complex to be successfully carried out.  And since the planning is faulty, the execution is impossible.

Vita Coco and their CEO, Michael Kirban, have figured out the execution aspect.  They focused their product launch in their backyard and on a small achievable scale.  Michael did the first product distribution on rollerblades and got additional help from his mom.  Over a six-year period, Vita Coco slowly and methodically built upon their existing distribution.  Recently they announced a distribution agreement with Dr. Pepper/Snapple that will give them nationwide distribution.  Their plan was executed to perfection.

What is our plan?  Our plan is to build upon our existing distribution base.  In 2010 we have a big focus on increasing our sales in the east.  Specifically, we are looking at increasing sales in the northeast and southeast.  We hired two individuals, with DECADES of experience between them, to help us build sustainable distribution channels in those two territories.

There are specific, quantifiable goals for each territory.  And, we maintain an open dialog with our entire sales team to make sure everyone is speaking the same language and our overall corporate message is clear.

What are you doing to execute your plan?  Do you have measurable goals, or is your brand going to become an industry statistic?

Ray Welch

President

We stress versatility.  You can see it on our website.  You can see it in our marketing materials.  But what do we mean?  How can one be versatile when it comes to branding, marketing, or tea concentrate sales? 

A synonymous word to versatility is adaptability.  And I am a self proclaimed expert on adaptability.  To give a current example, I am at this very moment supposed to be collecting my luggage from baggage claim in New York’s La Guardia airport.  I am in fact, not.  My flight has yet to leave the ground in Miami.

As I was sitting in my seat, waiting for the second attempt at takeoff this morning, I was struck by inspiration and grabbed a pen and legal pad.  This blog, or at least the bulk of it, was written “old school.”  You will, thankfully, not have to try and decipher my shorthand.

Adapt

During my early days of military service, shortly after leaving Great Lakes RTC, my versatility (and patience) was tested…often.  Whenever we got new marching orders, oftentimes in the middle of executing previous orders, our senior chief would look at us and say, “Adapt and overcome.”

“Adapt and overcome” – It wasn’t a unique phrase used solely amongst my unit.  I’ve come across service members from all branches that get the smirk on their face when they hear the phrase.  But for me, it became more than just a phrase.  It became a way to live my life, a way to run my businesses.

Things rarely go as planned, and I believe you need to be open to change.  During my early years in the beverage industry, I had the distinct pleasure of working with a USAF Lt. Colonel (Ret.).  The Colonel, Bob to his civilian counterparts, ran production for the company where I had gone to work.  Bob ran a smooth, tight operation.  He would begin his day reviewing the production schedule for the day.  He would end his day developing out the next day’s production plan.  The stuff that occurred in between…well, that was organized chaos.  Bob used to say, “A plan is only something to deviate from.”

There is a four letter word that happens.  It usually happens unexpectedly and at the worst of times.  You can either throw your hands up in frustration, or, “adapt and overcome”. 

I have found, when faced with a certain adversity, it is better to drop the current plan of attack and develop a Plan B.  The important thing to NEVER forget is your overall operational objective.  What was it you were hoping to accomplish?  What was the end result to your now non-working plan?

How you get there is irrelevant.  That you get to your destination, no matter the path you travel, is the important part.  And who knows, along the way your unscripted journey may open more opportunities for you. 

Ray Welch

President

 How does a beverage company go about building an “authentic” brand?  What makes a brand “authentic”?  Well, Michel Hogan  states that, “…authentic brands are not about marketing. They are not products. They live inside the company. And they are held and enacted of the people, by the people and for the people!”

For us here at ThirsTea, we are trying to build a brand where what we say about our product is in lockstep with actual experiences from our customers. 

Our corporate history is what it is.  We started in 1977, in Florida.  At the time, there was no real market for tea concentrates.  ThirsTea, along with a few other companies, saw an opportunity in the foodservice marketplace for a product that would make life easier for operators…a liquid tea concentrate that was easy to use, and offered a high-quality, fresh-brewed-tasting, glass of tea.

We, as a company, actively focus on four key areas: Quality, Portability, Versatility and Longevity. 

Quality – We strive for quality in our product offerings as well as in our personnel and corporate life.  We believe a company is only as good as the people representing it, and the products and services the company has to offer.  Over the last few years, we have built a great team of people, and we continue to focus on improving the quality of our concentrates.

Portability – We recognize many operators are faced with integrating “operationally difficult” products and/or procedures.  Our foodservice products, specifically our line of 4oz high-yield concentrates are easy to store, easy to use, and easy to implement in any existing beverage program.

Versatility – We know in today’s business climate, if you have trouble recognizing changing trends, or worse, have trouble embracing change yourself, success will be most difficult.  Our product offerings have changed (and are continuing to change) based on current beverage trends.  We continue to offer our standard fare, but today’s consumer likes to experience new things and new ideas.  ThirsTea, especially our current management, openly embraces change and we love the opportunity to try new things, new products, new technology, and new strategies.

Longevity – We have been around for 33 years.  As a company, and brand, we must focus on the future.  That future can be a little intimidating and frightening if you don’t have a plan or goal.  We know, as a company, where we want to be next year, three years from now, and even 33 more years into the future (well maybe not 33 years from now, but we do have a long-term strategy and goal). 

If you are a regular customer of ours, or even if you have only just tried our 4oz high-yield tea, you KNOW who we are.  It’s very tough to forget when that tiny bottle of liquid turns into 3 gallons of tea.  Our product is memorable.  Our brand name is memorable.  And we want your experience with us, on a product, personal and corporate level, to be just as memorable.

Ray Welch

President

Lyons is privately held, and is a success story worthy of more than just my little blog.  The owner, Bob Smittcamp, is a true Renaissance man.  In all my years – through college, the military and then the business world, I have never met an individual who has better vision or is more focused and committed to achieving that vision than Bob Smittcamp.

Another thing Bob does well is attracting talent.  The personnel who work with (and for) him are smart, dedicated, talented and focused.  It’s no wonder he has been able to build an organization that has become a leader in the foodservice industry.

But this isn’t a fluff piece for Bob or his company.  I share this information to show you the importance of good strategic partners.  Eight years ago, our products were available nationwide through roughly 40 Foodservice distributors.  Our partnership with Lyons Magnus opened numerous new distribution points and allowed us access to distributors and end-users we may never have reached under our original business model.  We nearly doubled our distributor base within the first year, and have built upon that initial success over the years.

But, access to the distributor is not the end game.  In order for us to be truly successful, we need to reach the clients…the people who use our product and support our brand.  And THIS is where having a good strategic partner is critical.

We are developing several new marketing initiatives designed to get our products, especially our newest launches, into the hands of operators.  The fun part, the part where the partnership becomes instrumental, is in the execution of those initiatives.  If you are unable to execute, you have no chance of success.

Our Thirs-Tea staff is fully capable of executing our initiatives.  I also know our partners at Lyons Magnus are not just capable of, but fully committed to, executing Thirs-Tea initiatives.  At the end of the day, both companies are looking out for each other because it is in both of our financial interests.

Who are your strategic partners?  Is there anyone out there whose interests are aligned with your own company interests?  If you don’t have any partners, investigate the options available to you.  In these tough economic times, it will be easier to achieve success when a team of committed, like-minded, companies and people surrounds (and supports) you.

Ray Welch

President

As the son of an English Lit major, I grew up reading some great authors. My dad loved Shakespeare (still does), and somehow, his love of literature was passed on to me. As much as I would have loved to use a quote from Shakespeare or Chaucer for my first official blog entry, this quote from Elliott just seemed to be a perfect fit.

It seemed a perfect fit because of what I have been going through, and what this new website signifies…a new beginning for me, and a new beginning for a 33 year old company.

Last year my partners and I bought Thirs-Tea Corp. It was not the easiest transaction I have ever been through, and it hasn’t been the smoothest transition I have ever experienced. There are a LOT of things that go into buying an existing business; things I never worried about when building a business from scratch.

This website represents some of the last components of our changeover. There are a couple of more items we need to address before considering our “transition” complete, but we are in the home stretch.

I recently read a great book, Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, which inspired me to build our new site on a WordPress platform and include this blog page. (If you haven’t read the book, do…it’s informational, and if you are a digital immigrant like myself, this book will help you to understand the mindset and thinking of an entirely new generation of consumers. Marketing to consumers, and how we do it, is evolving and changing dramatically. Trust Agents gives you insight and ideas on how to reach those new consumers who probably don’t watch TV (on a television) or read a magazine (received in the mail). Here is a purchase link.)

My goal is to become more transparent in our dealings with the public, to build a rapport with our clients, to promote our brand and products (obviously), and to eventually become a source of, and destination for information for our industry – non-alcoholic beverages.

So with this initial blog, I say “Goodbye” to an archaic and outdated marketing model and “Hello” to the rebirth of a thirty-three year old brand.

Ray Welch
President