Cindi Bigelow of Bigelow Tea hits the streets of New York City

Fairfield, CT, February 13, 2009 – Cindi Bigelow, President of Bigelow Tea (www.bigelowtea.com) hit the streets of New York City to meet and greet fellow tea aficionados. In the lively video “Who is Drinking Bigelow Tea?,” Cindi embarks on a mission to connect with present and future customers by asking, “Have you heard of Bigelow Tea?”

New Yorkers from all walks of life were delighted to chat with Cindi about their teatime rituals, favorite flavors and even the health benefits of tea. Many said they enjoy Bigelow’s Earl Grey and English Teatime. Tea lovers were also enthused about the antioxidants found in green tea, especially in the tasty Green Tea with Pomegranate.

One woman confided that it was her “nana” who had introduced her to the joy of tea, a connection she shared with Cindi, whose grandmother’s experimentation and love of tea eventually formed into Bigelow Tea the company. When one Bigelow tea customer asked if Cindi enjoyed her work, Cindi responded: “I love it. I love what I do, I love tea and I love who I work with. I have such beautiful employees and for every box of tea I sell, I get to do good things for the community and keep 330 families employed.”

Family loyalty, quality products borne by a passion for tea, giving back to the community, keeping employees happy and employed – this is what Bigelow Tea is all about. No wonder Bigelow Tea is Number One in the Big Apple.

Watch the Tea-V channel video here!

About Bigelow Tea Company

100% family owned Fairfield, Connecticut-based Bigelow Tea pioneered the specialty tea category more than 60 years ago. Bigelow takes pride in its heritage and successful growth from a one-product, entrepreneurial venture into America’s leading specialty tea company. The Bigelow Tea line includes more than 80 varieties of flavored, traditional, green tea, organic, herbal, decaffeinated teas and iced teas- including America’s number one specialty tea flavor, “Constant Comment®.” Also, enjoy the Charleston Tea Plantation located on Wadmalaw Island just south of Charleston, South Carolina which is owned and operated by Bigelow Tea and produces American Classic Tea and products.

Bigelow Tea products are available nationwide and every variety can be found on the company website (www.bigelowtea.com). Tea lovers will also enjoy the company’s blog (www.bigelowteablog.com).

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PRESS CONTACT INFO:
Elizabeth April-Fritz
Bigelow Tea
203-334-1212
eafritz@rcbigelow.com

Julie Dolan
Creative Concepts
866.475.5191 x 706
jdolan@creative-conceptsllc.com

With a blinding flash of bright pink, Valentine’s Day bisects February with a reminder that almost anything can be packaged in heart-shaped boxes, and if you don’t impress your significant other, you’re definitely in for six more weeks of winter.

Many look forward to the occasion with big ideas for home-made chocolates, construction paper cards and dinner for two, but Bigelow Tea lovers can look forward to their own special tea made just for the holiday. Bigelow Tea offers seasonal Valentine’s blends in White Chocolate Kisses and Sweetheart Cinnamon.

For those in search of the perfect nightcap after a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, here are two decadent drink recipes that use these specially made Valentine Day Teas; enjoy!

Bigelow® White Chocolate Kisses Mar-TEA-ni

Ingredients:
4 Bigelow® White Chocolate Kisses tea bags
1 ¼ cups boling water
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ounces vanilla vodka

Yield: Serves 4

Instructions:

Chocolate lovers and martini drinkers unite! This special cocktail is flavored with White Chocolate Kisses, one of Bigelow’s newest tea creations. Vanilla vodka gives it extra punch.

Place tea bags into a measuring cup and add 1 ¼ cups boiling water. Let brew for 3 minutes. Squeeze tea bags and remove.

Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Chill.

To make a martini, take two ounces of the cooled sweet tea, one ounce of the vanilla vodka and mix it with once ounce of cream in a shaker. Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

Bigelow® Kisses-n-Cream Mar-TEA-ni

Ingredients:
4 Bigelow® White Chocolate Kisses tea bags
1 ¼ cups boling water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup cocoa powder (optional)
4 ounces vanilla vodka
4 ounces whipping cream

Yield: Serves 4

Instructions:

The twist on Bigelow’s White Chocolate Kisses Mar-TEA-ni uses a touch of cream to bring out even more chocolate flavor.

Place tea bags into a measuring cup and add 1 ¼ cups boiling water. Let brew for 3 minutes. Squeeze tea bags and remove.

Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Chill.

Prepare martini glasses by wetting the rim and dipping in a shallow dish of cocoa powder.

To make a martini, take two ounces of the cooled sweet tea, one ounce of the vanilla vodka and mix it with once ounce of cream in a shaker. Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

The USA has already had some record cold snaps this winter, and the 2009 Flu/Cold season is well under way. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there will be more than 200,000 Americans affected by the flu or influenza this year. So what can one do? Can hot tea every day keep the doctor away?

Published research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University found that drinking tea containing high concentrations of the amino acid L-theanine may help strengthen the body’s immune system response. “The health benefits of tea have been touted for centuries…” said lead author Jack Bukowski, (MD, PhD) “…now we have a new explanation for the medicinal effect of tea. Our research suggests that when tea drinkers become exposed to germs, some may be protected from getting sick,” Bukowski, (also of Harvard Medical School), wrote “…importantly, those who do become ill, may develop a milder infection compared to non tea drinkers, indicates that theanine, an ingredient found naturally in tea, supports the immune system”. A cup of tea contains an average of 20-25 mg of theanine.

Other studies even suggest that gargling tea may bolster your efforts to fight the flu. In one study, participants who gargled with a black tea extract solution twice daily were more immune to the flu virus than those who didn’t. Sounds good — but drinking a nice cup of tea sounds much better! To help keep fighting the flu/cold season a warming experience, Bigelow Tea has many tasty suggestions at the ready. With this record-setting winter, prevention has never been so good!

Worked with key team members to keep driving Bigelow Tea forward and the enthusiasm was truly electric. Had some interesting variables to add to the formula, like a son that was ill and basically had me up the first night till 7:30 AM…yes that is right, I finally went to bed at 7:30 AM on the first day of our meetings. The meetings and kick off were to take place at 8 AM. Needless to say, I was excused from the team till noon on day one! Worked out great though, they could start to work together without the influences of “the boss” being in the room. Not that I like to miss part of a meeting, but it was effective. Day one finished up around 7 PM — then we gave the team a homework assignment for the evening. That didn’t go over too well initially but we eventually got past that!

Next day, we hit the ground running again at 8 AM (my son was more cooperative that night, he let me sleep but had me up around 5 AM when his stomach ache kicked in again). Day two was even better than day one — even more ideas, even more higher level thinking, and even more laughs. That night we finished up a little after 6 and then off we all went to dinner. A few glasses of wine, some pasta and even more smiles and then I headed home.

Today I got to reflect back on my two days and I have to say I could not be more pleased with the outcome. I have to say this company has the most passionate individuals working here…they love tea and this company more than anything. It was a great two days, but I think I might have to check out a little early today. My body feels like it just finished a marathon…cup of Cozy Chamomile tea anyone?

Cindi Bigelow

It’s been less than a month since President Obama moved into the White House, yet he’s been under the public’s microscope for quite some time now. From his daily workout to his attachment to his Blackberry, people can’t seem to get enough information about him.

As mentioned in the Bigelow Tea Inaugural blog post, he is definitely a tea lover. But what kind of tea does President Obama drink? Organic tea! Bigelow’s new organic line could not have come at a better time!

Just a few months ago, when all the name calling was going on between John McCain and then Senator Barack Obama, McCain’s camp accused Obama of being a “celebrity,” for requesting organic tea. Obama’s response: “is that the best you can come up with?”

President Obama’s not the only person taking notice of organics. It has been rapidly growing in popularity all over the U.S., reaching $38.6 billion in 2006. Including his strict daily fitness routine, he’s been vocal about his appreciation for living a healthy lifestyle and drinking iced organic tea.

We hear he likes organic berry teas. Maybe he should try some Organic White Tea with Raspberry Chrysanthemum?

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (February 9, 2009)– Retail grocers have reason to celebrate! Bigelow® Tea (www.bigelowtea.com) –  the number one specialty tea manufacturer in the United States – has joined forces with Van Houtte, the number one gourmet coffee brand in Canada, to develop the U.S. K-Cup market in a big way.

The partnership began about 8 years ago when Van Houtte provided sales and distribution to help Bigelow Tea penetrate the Québec Food Service market. Following that success, Bigelow and Van Houtte formed an alliance to produce Bigelow Tea K-Cups. In the past four years, Bigelow’s K-Cup business has grown over 45% per year.

Now, Bigelow Tea and Van Houtte are launching a national K-Cup campaign in the currently under-developed U.S. Retail Grocery channel. K-Cups fit the increasingly popular Keurig brewing systems, for an at home café experience. The K-Cup franchise is growing because consumers love the rich, fresh-brewed flavor it delivers with unique single-serve convenience … enhancing the superb flavor profiles of Bigelow Tea and Van Houtte coffee blends.

3 million cups a day… one cup at a time

Van Houtte is one of North America’s leading gourmet coffee companies involved in nearly every aspect of the industry. They select, buy, roast and package their own coffees, serving a total of three million cups daily to retail, office, café and online customers. They are also a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of state-of-the-art, single-cup brewing equipment and related products.

Their Keurig brewing systems utilize single-portion K-Cups. Inside each K-Cup is a pure paper filter with the ideal grind and measure of  a Van Houtte gourmet coffee or Bigelow specialty tea. Air-tight seals keep light and moisture out, freshness and aroma in, and deliver a single, perfectly brewed cup every time.

An exciting opportunity

Why the strong K-Cups initiative now? “The K-Cup business is one of the fastest growing segments in the United States,” says Cindi Bigelow, President of the family owned Bigelow Tea company. “It makes sense for Bigelow, the tea category leader, to expand on the opportunities of this popular brewing system. Now American tea drinkers who like instant-brew convenience don’t have to settle for anything less than Bigelow flavor.”

Just how popular are K-Cups? Amazon alone sells over 100 million cups per year. Bigelow and Van Houtte plan to utilize their leadership roles to capitalize on this trend. “We’ve already seen in Canada how well our partnership with Van Houtte works,” says Ms. Bigelow. “Together, we can help U.S. retail grocers capture their share of the K-Cup market.”

Synergy and commitment

The partnership works on several levels. Bigelow is the leading specialty tea brand in the US and Van Houtte is the leading gourmet coffee brand in Canada. Both companies have longstanding relationships with suppliers as well as quality checks and customized procedures in place to ensure flavor consistency cup to cup. And both have strong consumer followings, with a combined 140 years expertise in delivering fine tea and coffee products.

What’s more, “We both bring a real passion to the business,” says Cindi Bigelow. “We’re one-hundred-percent focused on producing great teas and coffees and we both use only the best, top grade ingredients. Flavor quality is our number one priority.”

Flavorful variety

The Bigelow K-Cups include these consumer favorites:

• English Breakfast
• Green Tea
• Earl Grey
• Cozy Chamomile®
• Mint Medley®
• Green Tea with Pomegranate

The Van Houtte offerings include single origin, flavored, fair trade, gourmet and decaffeinated coffees as well as a variety pack. Together, the two brands serve the full spectrum of consumers’ tea and coffee preferences in the K-Cup format.

Packaging is designed to create consumer appeal and win quick brand recognition.

Special stand-alone displays feature the proven top-selling items, making it easy for the grocery channel to order, stock and profit from the new K-Cup program.

Bigelow and Van Houtte offer real selling strength in this explosive growth category. They’ll bring new profits to the retail grocery channel, while bringing rich flavor and convenience to the American home brewing experience

About Bigelow Tea Company

100 % family owned Fairfield, Conn.-based Bigelow Tea pioneered the specialty tea category more than 60 years ago. Bigelow takes pride in its heritage and successful growth from a one-product, entrepreneurial venture into America’s leading specialty tea company.  The Bigelow Tea line includes more than 80 varieties of flavored, traditional, green, organic , herbal, decaffeinated teas and iced teas– including America’s number one specialty tea flavor, “Constant Comment®”.

In 2003, the company purchased and restored the Charleston Tea Plantation. Based on Wadmalaw Island just south of Charleston, South Carolina, the only tea plantation in America cultivates several hundred thousand tea bushes that are descendants of bushes brought from China during the 1800’s. The Charleston Tea Plantation has become a “must see” destination for tea lovers and tourists alike who visit the area from around the world and appreciate information and education about tea in addition to enjoying American Classic Tea and products which are produced from the tea grown on the premises

Bigelow Tea products are available nationwide including grocery, supercenters mass merchandisers and health stores. Every variety can be found on the company website, (www.bigelowtea.com), along with an appealing selection of tea chests, tea accessories and other gift items. Tea lovers and enthusiasts will also enjoy interesting and entertaining related stories and facts by visiting the company’s blog (http://www.bigelowteablog.com).

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PRESS CONTACT INFO:
Elizabeth April-Fritz
Bigelow Tea
203-334-1212
eafritz@rcbigelow.com

Julie Dolan
Creative Concepts
203.259.4202
jdolan@creative-conceptsllc.com

Over the past several years, organic products have surged in popularity. Bigelow Tea has recognized this trend and has created a line of Organic Teas in response to the growing demand. With over 60 years in the tea business, consumers can rest assured that the new organic line will exceed expectations as it has with the 80 plus varieties that Bigelow Tea produces today.

“We put a lot of time and effort into developing exceptional flavors, so our new organics are easy for tea lovers to enjoy,” says Cindi Bigelow, President. “This new line is a natural extension of the traditional purity of Bigelow Tea where every cup delivers goodness.”

The full line offers organic twists on the old classics and introduces exciting new blends as well! For a more traditional cup try the Organic Imperial Earl Grey, Organic Pure Green, or the Decaf Organic Breakfast Blend! Looking for something a little different? Try the Organic Rooibos with Asian Pear, for a the nutty taste of Rooibos combined with the sweet taste of pear! Or, the Organic White Tea with Raspberry and Chrysanthemum for a unique flavor sensation!

Follow the Fairfield Minuteman article that speaks about Cindi Bigelow’s work not only as a leader within Bigelow Tea but also notes her drive to help others in the local Fairfield, Connecticut community.

And having worked with Cindi and the Bigelow Tea team for quite some time, I have added a quote or two in the article about how innovative, smart and good hearted Cindi is as a partner and a friend to Creative Concepts!

Read more here.

As Bigelow’s Customer Service manager, each January my Call Center and Customer Service staffs and I promote events in our Fairfield location all month long to celebrate January being Hot Tea Month. Some of the fun things we did this year included weekly emails of fun tea trivia and facts, having a blind tea taste challenge and creating a Bigelow crossword puzzle for employees to fill out for the chance to win some great prizes. We also served fruit platters one day in the kitchens throughout the building so that employees could enjoy a healthy afternoon snack with their favorite cup of tea.

The culmination of all these fun events is the hosting late in the month of an annual afternoon tea party for all employees. The afternoon tea is held in the building’s cafeteria. The serving tables are covered with white linen tablecloths and decorated with beautiful flower arrangements. The members of Customer Service and the Call Center help to serve the tea and the food. This year the menu consisted of cucumber sandwiches, sweet and savory ham sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, raspberry cookies and chocolate cookies with White Chocolate Kisses glaze. A wide selection of Bigelow teas was offered, including black and herbal teas, green teas, Novus, organic teas and of course, our 2 new Valentines teas, Sweetheart Cinnamon and White Chocolate Kisses. The staff also offered herbal iced tea and Constant Comment Punch. Before the event concluded, a raffle was held, where the lucky winners were the recipients of the decorative flower arrangements.

Bigelow’s Boise and Louisville locations also celebrated Hot Tea Month with tea parties and raffle prizes for their employees. January being Hot Tea Month is certainly a terrific way for the Bigelow Company to celebrate tea and share in fellowship, food and fun!

J David Silva
Customer Service Manager

With food combinations flying all over the place, it was only a matter of time before tea and yogurt began holding hands. With developers constantly searching for ways to improve the healthy attributes already present in yogurt, tea will prove to be an excellent choice as a tasty and inherently healthy coupling.

There were, however, some hurdles to vault in the development of the new yogurt with added tea. The creators needed to know that the tea wouldn’t have a negative impact on the cultures that make the yogurt healthy already. Luckily, they found that, “[r]esults indicated that the presence of the tea did not affect the characteristic microorganisms of the yogurt during refrigerated storage for six weeks at four degrees Celsius […] Moreover, no effect on lactic acid levels was observed after addition of the teas.” The developers are anticipating using both green and black tea.

As we have discussed at length here, green tea and black tea have numerous health benefits connected with them, which will only serve to make these savoury combinations that much more beneficial to you.

So, now that your mouth is watering thinking about this wonderful concoction, allow me to amp it up a notch. Feel free to check out the Green Tea Fruit Medley Smoothie with Yogurt recipe to really please that palate of yours.