Just Ice Tea, the reboot of Honest Tea, the Bethesda company bought by Coca-Cola, which discontinued the brand in 2022, now comes in cans as well as bottles.
The company will continue to package and sell its teas in 16-ounce bottles, but is adding 12-ounce cans to reach more consumers.
“These portable and recyclable aluminum cans will help make the drink accessible to on-the-go consumers,” Just Ice Tea said in a statement.
Seth Goldman launched organic tea line Honest Tea with business partner Barry Nalebuff in Bethesda in 1998. Coke bought a 40% stake in the company in 2008 and bought the company outright in 2011.
When Coke announced its intention to discontinue the brand in 2022, it cited prioritizing fewer, bigger bottled tea brands with the greatest potential for scale and profitable growth.
“After we got over the heartbreak of discontinuation of Honest Tea, we recognized there was an amazing opportunity to reinvigorate the organic and fair-trade tea category,” Goldman said in a statement. “Just Ice Tea is not about running the same playbook. We are constantly innovating and iterating our offerings to accelerate our growth and impact, and our new canned line will do just that.”
Just Ice Tea is a partnership between Goldman and Nalebuff and business partner chef Spike Mendelsohn. It’s part of their planet-friendly snack company Eat the Change.
The new 12-ounce cans initially come in three flavors: lemon tea, raspberry tea and dragon green tea (a nod to one of Honest Tea’s bestsellers, Green Dragon Tea.)
The canned versions will be available through retailers starting in March, including Sprouts Farmers Market, Giant Food, MOM’s Organic Market and others.
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