Tazo
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Beverage |
| Founded | 1994 in Portland, Oregon |
| Founder | Steven Smith |
| Headquarters | Kent, Washington , |
Area served | Global |
| Products | Teas and herbal teas |
Number of employees | Approximately 50 (2010) |
| Parent | LIPTON Teas and Infusions |
| Website | www.tazo.com |
Tazo Tea Company (TAZO) is a tea and herbal tea blender and distributor founded in Portland, Oregon. It is now a LIPTON Teas and Infusions division and is based in Kent, Washington.
History
Tazo (/tɑːˈzoʊ/) Tea was founded in 1994 by Steven Smith. The manufacturing and distribution was maintained by North American Tea & Coffee, a Canadian-based food manufacturing company.
Tazo approached then Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in 1998, seeking further investment partners. The company was purchased by Starbucks in 1999 for $8.1 million.
Starbucks opened the first Tazo-branded tea shop in November 2012. It closed a year later and was converted into a Teavana store.
In November 2017, Starbucks sold Tazo to Unilever for $384 million.
Unilever reached an agreement in November 2021 to sell the majority of its tea business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for €4.5 billion. This included the Tazo business. The sale was completed in July 2022 , with the new company named LIPTON Teas and Infusions.
Marketing
The company uses "New Age"-style marketing and product labeling. For example, every box of tea was once labeled as "blessed by a certified tea shaman" and an original tag line was "The Reincarnation of Tea."
Until 2013, the logo used the Exocet typeface, slightly modified. For example, the T in Tazo was changed for readability purposes in 2006 by sliding the cross-piece toward the top of the letter.
See also
- LIPTON Teas and Infusions
External links
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