According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Amy Merrick, titled “Apparently, You Can Be Too Sexy”, famous lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret is trying to change their marketing messaging, steering away from their “sexy”, “very sexy” messaging. Blaming slumping sales, VS wants to reinvent its image as “an ultra-feminine lingerie brand”, and produce “more sophisticated merchandise”.

Victoria’s Secret has always interested us as a model for raising brand awareness and product extensions beyond your core product line. I’ve always admired them for producing the highly buzzed about fashion show once a year that served to elevate their brand beyond the label of “lingerie-maker” to “entertainment brand”. Their campaigns featuring the message “Sexy” have been so successful that it’s surprising to hear they want to steer away in a different direction. Their sales are slumping not because of advertising campaigns, or lack of brand awareness, but because of declining product quality and selection. Even at the fashion show this year, it was evident from their selection of child-like costumes and themes. I do agree that they have to re-examine their product selection (more great lingerie, less strong-smelling cosmetics with sparkles).

Read the WSJ article here.

This is a video Smirnoff created to promote their alcoholic tea-themed beverages…Look for Fully Loaded Tea videos coming soon!

Who would have thought that something that tastes so great could actually benefit your health?

August 24th 2006 - BBC News did a report on the health benefits of our dear friend tea and found that - not only is it comforting on a cold dreary day - it also has many health benefits.

A public health nutritionist from Kings College London, and her colleagues, found evidence that by drinking 3-4 cups of tea a day one cuts down the chances of having a heart attack. Tea has also shown to protect against tooth plaque and - potentially - decay, as well as the strengthening of bones. Not only all of that but it also rehydrates the body!

For the complete story click here.

Top Ten Benefits of Drinking Tea

1. Contains antioxidants
2. Has less caffeine than coffee
3. May reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke
4. Protects your bones
5. Gives you a sweet smile
6. Bolsters your immune defenses
7. Protects against cancer
8. Helps keep you hydrated
9. Calorie-free
10. Increases your metabolism

For detailed list click here.

Our new address is 3683 West 4th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V6R 1P2. The phone number is still the same at (604)408-1875 or toll-free at (888)408-1875.

Fully Loaded Tea is now available at Meinhardt Fine Foods in Vancouver. We will also be holding a tasting at the store on Wednsday, July 4th from 3 pm to 7 pm. Since it is officially summertime, we will be sampling our blends both hot and iced. If you are in the Vancouver area, come down and have a taste. Meinhardt Fine Foods is located at 3002 Granville Street, Vancouver.

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How many times have we seen this:

Goji Berry Tea. Pictured on the box: beautiful glistening goji berries, growing the in Himalayan mountains. Description on the side of the box: explains the benefits of goji berries (the latest superfood!), the wonderful flavor of the berry, how it is grown in the Himalayas. Ingredients: Tea, goji berry flavor.

Strawberry Black Tea. Pictured on the box: huge, fresh, ripe strawberry in the sun. Description on the side fo the box: talks about the refreshingly sweet taste of strawberries, how they complement the tea flavor, the blend is the highest quality tea you can possibly buy. Ingredients: Tea, strawberry flavor.

[Insert fruit name here] Tea. Pictured on the box: beautiful, large, ripe, colorful [insert fruit name here]. Description on the box: how wonderful, tasty, and beneficial [insert fruit name here] is. How this [insert fruit name here] blend is the most sophisticated, and delicious blend of all teas. Ingredients: Tea, [insert fruit name here] flavor.

Why do we keep saying that we use real pieces of fruits and berries in each of our blends? Because we just don’t think the above examples are good ones to follow. Our goji berry tea, the Goji Force Green Tea, has real goji berries and real lingonberries. Our strawberry tea, the Naked Strawberry Green Tea, has real strawberry pieces in it. All of our blends have the berries and fruits they are named after right in the teabag!

At FullyLoadedTea:

Real Strawberry Pieces + Green Tea = Naked Strawberry Green Tea

+ =
We just like to do what we say!

We use pyramid teabags to package all of our blends because it allows us to use whole leaf teas and also add real pieces of fruits and berries to each of our blends. When we exhibit at trade shows, we get asked a lot of questions about the pyramid teabags, and we thought we would answer some of them here:

Q: Does it mean the tea is better if it is in a pyramid bag?

A: No, just because the tea is packed into pyramid bags does not make it a high quality product. Some tea companies advertise their pyramid bag teas as being better simply because of the packaging, but this is not the case. At FullyLoadedTea, we say that pyramid bags are simply packaging - it is what is inside the bag that counts. We pick the highest quality teas and add real pieces of fruits and berries to each bag.

Q: Are the bags made of silk? Sometimes, they are advertised as “silken” or “silky”.

A: No! The pyramid bags are not made of silk - they are made from food-grade nylon material. Any company that is advertising their teabags as made of silk is incorrect. Think about it, silk is produced by silkworms and it is not a food-grade material! FullyLoadedTea pyramid bags are made from food-grade nylon material that has been approved by the FDA to be safe for use in steeping in boiling water.

Q: How are the teabags made? Are they glued?

A: The teabag is formed by a special tea packing machine in one step. They are not glued, but ultra-sonically sealed by the machine in a controlled food-safe environment. The machine sorts out a portion of the blend, packs it into the teabag, seals the bag and packs it into the individual envelope all in one step. The pyramid teabag itself is not touched by any person during this process, making the process contamination-free.

We often get asked if we have “more traditional” blends of tea by cafe owners and other foodservice operators. And we always say “No, and that’s better for your business.” We aren’t traditional by nature and that’s what makes our teas better than our competition.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Customers are attracted to new things and want to try new beverages, especially in the tea category. When they come into your establishment, day after day, they welcome change every now and then. Some of our clients have said that once they put our tea into their cafes, they have people coming in everyday and trying a new flavor.

2. If your tea sales aren’t going great, why switch from brand to brand without switching the type of product you’re selling? Our clients’ tea sales go through the roof once they add our blends to their locations. Customers notice the packaging, notice the display and buy, buy, buy even if they aren’t tea drinkers by nature.

3. Your competitor down the block has the “traditional blends”. What are you going to offer customers to differentiate your business from your competitor? Why not try bringing in customers with a product that is like nothing else on the market? If they have cheap, bland teas, offer premium unique blends to your customers - they appreciate the difference. If they already carry a premium specialty tea, you have a choice to either do the same thing or have an alternative.

If you are a cafe owner and would like to try our teas, contact us and we can send you a complimentary starter kit to try in your establishment. Write to us here with your request.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT FullyLoadedTea will be announcing two new blends at the FMI Show. The new blends are something that has never been done in the tea industry before. If you are attending the FMI Show, please visit our booth and learn about this exciting news. If you are not going to be attending, please drop us a line by e-mail and we will send the announcement to you when it becomes public.

FullyLoadedTea is exhibiting at the FMI Show (May 6-8, 2007) in Chicago, IL at booth #4164.