WELCOME to East West Tea Company
All of us team members welcome you to East West Tea Company. We are excited to have this opportunity to introduce ourselves to you. We are a culture of 350+ inspired and engaged people who possess an inner-knowing that the world is a better place because we are in it. As we guide you on a journey of organizational discovery, may you align with our collective energy, fostering wellness throughout the world. The first thing you should know is that we are so much more than just a tea company. We are a wellness company that exists to inspire everyone we touch.
WE EXIST TO INSPIRE
Our culture comes from our soul and lives in our heart. You will experience it in every aspect of the vast network of people working collaboratively, with purpose and inspiration, to create the wellness products we offer. And because of this, we are more than a tea company. We are a global wellness company, with each aspect actively contributing to the whole, creating a global network fueled by our collective energy.
OUR ROOTS We are proud that the roots of East West Tea Company run deep, dating back as many as 3,000 years to the origins of Ayurvedic medicine in India. Ayurveda, an ancient healing philosophy, is a holistic approach to wellness, emphasizing the importance of bringing your body, mind, and spirit into a state of balance. Today, Ayurvedic philosophy is reflected in the Yogi Principles of wellness: proper exercise, breathing, relaxation, diet, and positive thinking through meditation. Our EWTC team applies Ayurvedic philosophy in developing all of our products, honoring the Yogi Principles of wellness in many of our functional teas... for stress relief, sleep, wellness, and immune support. In 1972, Yogi tea was born. We began our journey into the tea world by introducing an aromatic and warming tea, as well as an herbal tea blend of ginger, cinnamon,clove, black pepper, and cardamom. Since then, our Yogi tea product offering has grown to over 40 tea blends, made from 140 exotic spices and botanicals sourced from around the globe. We blend with intention, creating blends to support body and mind, creating products to enhance wellness and complementing them with intriguing, delightful flavors. In 2019, we acquired Choice Organics Teas. Since 1989, Choice Organics Teas has been recognized as "The Original Organic Tea Company." As pioneers in the industry, Choice Organic Teas was the first tea crafter in the United States to produce exclusively organic, Fair Trade Certified™, and Non-GMO Project Verified teas. Choice Organics offers a collection of organic traditional tea, organic herbal tea, and unique, flavorful organic tea blends. Even though we operate as separate entities, we collaborate as One global organization, collectively forming our overall living culture, which is supported by the values we aspire to maintain and be. Today, our market positioning is having East West Tea Company known as a global supplier of inspiration and wellness, offering two product lines of teas — Yogi Products and Choice Organic Teas. For us, the decision to add the Choice Organic Teas brand to the East West Tea Company family reflects our guiding principle to “Feel Good, Be Good, Do Good.” We have a market reputation of being known as a quiet secret, and its now time we are letting our secret out.
our roots run deep
Our Farmers
Our team efforts source over 140 botanicals and spices from farms all over the world. We work with thousands of farmers who are part of a vast and complex supply chain. Some of these farmers own just a hectare of land. Others are responsible for managing hundreds of other small farmers. Our goal is 100% transparency so we know exactly where each of our ingredients comes from. We want to make sure we pay fair and sustainable prices that allow farmers to cover their production costs and earn a good profit. We only work with companies that use fair labor practices. And, we support sustainability and regenerative agriculture programs.
Sorwathe Tea Farmer
Our Brokers & Suppliers We believe quality tea begins at the source. Organic farming is the origin of a great cup of tea. We work with brokers and suppliers to deliver the raw ingredients from the farms. These distributors support our goal of 100% transparency and let us know exactly where our ingredients originate. This ensures that all our products are ethically sourced and we are good stewards of the land and that is why we trust and certify.
Quality Tea Begins With Quality Ingredients
Our Customers Our customers are made up of Mass Retailers, Grocery, Specialty, and Natural Food stores. We also offer our products through E-Commerce so that every consumer has access to our extensive line of organic traditional, black, green, and herbal teas and Yogi teas, the #1 brand of wellness teas (the fastest growing brand of teas in the wellness category). These retailers provide our consumers access to our better-for-you alternatives when choosing teas. And for those concerned with not only a wide choice of great tasting products, the Yogi and Choice Organics Teas also provide more innovative, organic, nonGMO, sustainably sourced products, with sustainable packaging options.
Purchase CHOICE Organics & Yogi teas at your local retail store
Our Consumers We love to inspire our consumers... through enjoying a delicious cup of Choice Organics tea or a cup of a Yogi wellness tea! In 2021, our consumers bought more than 1.4 billion of our tea bags. That means that every second, 47 of our consumers around the world are inspired by a cup of Yogi tea, making us the #1 global wellness brand in the world. And we know our consumers love the inspirational tea tags because we hear from them every week, letting us know how much those messages mean to them. Their messages inspire us to be innovative, bringing them new blends and flavors from the finest spices and botanicals from around the world.
Enjoying a delicious cup of tea!
Our Team Members Collectively, we are more than 350 team members from 24 countries who speak 28 languages. We operate in Eugene, Oregon as East West Tea Company, in Imola, Italy as Yogi Tea, and in Hamburg, Germany as Tea Pak. Even though we operate as separate entities, we collaborate as a global organization, fostering wellness throughout the world.
Our team thinks globally, and acts locally.
Our Communities Our collective team is committed to being a positive source of goodness throughout the communities we live, serve, and touch. From the communities we source our ingredients, to the communities in which we manufacture our teas, and to the communities where we sell our products, we dedicate and share our time, talents, and financial resources to organizations and causes that align with our vision, purpose, and values. For instance, we are particularly committed to focusing on healthcare, education, hunger relief, women's issues, the environment, as well as the care of underprivileged children.
Eugene Office Earth Day Community Cleanup
Our Planet
As a manufacturer, our team recognizes that some of our actions have a negative impact on the planet. This is why every day we are inspired to reduce this negative impact. While other manufacturers may strive for a net-zero impact, we strive to heal and revive. Our intention is to empower and enrich the lives and livelihoods of everyone who connects with our company, while helping to regenerate the planet on which we live. We love our planet, taking inspired action by implementing environmentally preferred practices, supporting organic farming in our supply chain, and protecting natural resources, as well as fostering nature’s capacity to heal and revive itself. We exist to inspire our planet to thrive in a healthy, balanced, and regenerative way.
"Plants require healthy soils and a healthy planet to thrive. It's our responsibility not only to protect these natural resources but to foster environments where nature can heal and revive itself. We ask a lot of our Earth, but our intention is to give back more than we take. These principles are the foundation behind our sustainability pillar: Heal and Revive." Briana Buckles Sustainability Manager
Always working to Heal & Revive
we are guided by
OUR VALUES
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we are continuously creating
A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT & GROWTH
Our Vision, Mission, & Values Guide Us
To ensure we are aligned in all we do, we have created our Vision, Mission, and Value Statements. They are at the heart of everything we do. They guide us in our daily actions. With them and through them, we grow, we thrive, and we evolve.
Our Mission Fuels Our Engagement
We are engaged with our mission: To be the best global wellbeing company enhancing the every day life of humans through their experience with us. It brings us fulfillment every day.
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be the best global ancing the everyday life of ir experience with us.
Our Values Influence Every Action We Take
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Our team is aligned with and guided by our values. We honor people by continuously creating a culture of engagement and growth among our team, along with our business partners, the communities where we work, as well as the places we source our ingredients. We honor our collective team by protecting our business through proactively managing risks of and for our team, our product, our process, and our organization. We honor the people we work with along with their communities, through forming collaborative partnerships.
WE HONOR PEOPLE... With Our Transparency Even though we are a privately held company, we strive to be transparent. We share our goals. We share our results. In 2022, we started with a company-wide kick-off meeting, sharing our management direction for the year ahead. We shared plans for our company culture, revenue, growth, sustainability, operations, risk management, and plans for our 'doing good' programs. We discussed production and sales numbers, marketing strategies, sustainability programs, and more. And it was a discussion. Team members from our three productions shifts, along with our office teams, all participated in this conversation... asking questions and making recommendations; embodying trust, compassion, stability, and hope.
With Our Open Communication As one team, we openly communicate, celebrate, and share goals, accomplishments, successes, and milestones. We connect as individuals, teams, and collectively as a company. We have a company newsletter, Live, Light, Insights, which is distributed quarterly. Our digital Weekly Communications Connection goes out to everyone via email (every team member has a company email address), and is posted on the T.V. in the company break room.
Through Appreciation & Recognition We acknowledge everyone for their uniqueness, their individual strengths, and their diversity. Our culture is one where employees are encouraged to contribute and to share, individually as well as in meetings. We have corporate-wide recognition programs, and a team dedicated to developing new ways to appreciate and recognize fellow team members. We enjoy celebrating personal and group accomplishments, along with work anniversaries and birthdays. Together, we recognize holidays, and experience fun-filled events, including our company-wide picnics. The entryway into our lobby celebrates every team member with a professional photo proudly displayed on the wall. And, we recently rolled out a new program that offers Appreciation notecards for team members to use anytime they feel inspired to offer words of kindness and appreciation to one another.
WE HONOR PEOPLE...
With A Welcoming Work Environment When you walk into our building for the first time, you may notice the bright open spaces, the natural lighting, and the native plants. You may experience a light scent of the over 140 exotic spices and botanicals that drifts in from the lab and warehouse. And, you may realize that our manufacturing facility, our testing labs, our Research & Development labs, and our corporate offices are all connected as one.
With Diversity, Equity, & Inclusiveness We honor each one of us as individuals, and all people we come across in our day-to-day business and life. We recognize and accept our differences... realizing that we come from different backgrounds, have different colors of skin, speak different languages, love who we love, identify as who we are, eat the foods we enjoy, and practice the faith or belief that serves us. At work, we feel blessed by having the opportunity to be our best self. And, when we honor, support, and share kindness with each other, we ALL benefit. It feels so good to have compassion for one another, while celebrating what makes us unique. Let's continue to show up for one another and build this great place to work, empowering each of us to express our talents. By doing so, we are positively impacting our families, our communities, our partners, our consumers, and our planet. We honor each of us as individuals, along with all the various people we come across in our day-to-day business and life. We strive to understand where we are in present time, remaining open to discovering new ways to ensure all of us are feeling valued, honored, and respected.
WE HONOR PEOPLE... With Opportunities For Growth & Development When it comes to our team, we start with the best. Our recruiting experts are effective at selecting for talent, ensuring that new team members are a good fit with who we are. By being a good fit, new team members are encouraged to contribute their talents in inspiring, engaging, and productive ways. Whenever we have a department opening, we take a step back to look at where it is, and where it's going. A gap may create growth opportunities for those already in the department. We may shift responsibilities based on the strengths and interests of those already working in the department. Our goal is to have every team member do what they do best every day. It's that simple. We operate as a strengths-based culture. This means we look at the strengths of those on the team, and determine who can best complement the team, based on their natural abilities and longterm fit to role. We complete an extensive interview process. Part of this process includes having many applicants complete the Gallup Clifton Strengths Profile. Whether the applicant becomes an EWTC team member or not, they will learn something new about themselves, perhaps supporting them in their process. We compile strength profiles to help ensure the applicant is the right fit for the role, the department, and the company, as much as we are the right fit for the applicant. We thrive in growth and development, offering opportunities for every team member. We have one-on-one check-in meetings among managers and each team member every month to openly discuss how things are going.
Nourish our Minds Learn. Grow. Expand. We have an onsite library providing you the opportunity to check books out for your development. Many of these books are self-development, self-help, business, management, and a few fiction. There are also new sustainability books available for everyone to enjoy.
Managers check-in to ensure that expectations are clear, while clarifying that individual success is being measured and effectively managed. They also ensure that the proper training is being received, they have the right tools to complete their work, their teams are openly communicating, and each team member is receiving the support they need to be successful. One of the goals of these discussions is to help to make sure that each person understands their individual role, their role as a member of the team, and how they contribute to the mission, value, and goals of the company. All meetings are safe spaces for two-way, open conversation. They offer managers an opportunity to provide positive feedback to team members by recognizing and encouraging them to share ideas, suggestions, and provide their feedback on processes and systems. Performance Reviews, yearly target goal setting, and training classes, are all a part of our growth and development opportunities. For instance, our Clifton Strengths training provides an opportunity to learn more about your distinct strengths profile, and how to maximize your potential by understanding what you naturally do best, positioning you for success through creating stronger relationships and improving teamwork. All of us team members have heard the buzzword 'StrengthsFinder'. The Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment uncovers your uniquely ranked order of 34 strengths themes. These themes fall into four domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking. The assessment helps develop us into our highest potential, whether it's in our career or personal lives... thus leading to higher engagement, fulfillment, and productivity.
Whole Person Model
TA L E N T
TALENT IS WHO YOU ARE AT THETAUGHT. CORE. EXPERIENCE ISISWHAT YOU’VE DONE. VALUESARE SHAPE WHO YOU ARE. SKILLS WHAT YOU’VE BEEN KNOWLEDGE WHAT YOU KNOW. FIT IS A FEELING. Being in are a role or in situations you acquire gain wisdom Yourinformation principles or standards ofwhere behavior; Talents naturally recurring patterns The and understanding you through The ability to perform steps ofof an activity. Does it feel natural here?the Dobasic I believe in what I do? from successes and challenges and from various jobs. What is important to you in life. education and training. behavior productively applied. Fit applies to the role, manager, team and organization.
WE HONOR PEOPLE... By Nourishing The Whole Person We nourish ourselves with many things like company events, food, swag, experiences, and the like, that many of us find cool, which is how we describe our culture. These experiences are a part of our organizational culture, providing us opportunities to be together... having fun day-to-day, celebrating our success along the way. We bond and bind... we build trust, convey compassion, and strive to create a culture of stability and safety, fueling a greater sense of hope, belonging, and fulfillment. Our intention is to to create a highly trust-based environment, where together, we flourish as individuals, teams, and as one united company. Our Nourish Market provides all of us subsidized, healthy, plantbased lunch and snack options. We also have an onsite massage chair, and a 'Breathe Deep' room that provides us a space to relax, meditate, and practice yoga.
WE HONOR PEOPLE... With Comprehensive Benefits & More As team members, we receive competitive salaries, and a generous annual bonus. Our comprehensive benefits package seeks to offer team members peace of mind. We are able to choose from an exceptional list of benefits, including health, dental, vision, F.S.A. and H.A.S. options, alternative care options, life and disability insurance, a 401K plan, paid time off, holidays, sick leave, and parental leave. We also have our Employee Assistance Program, which is available free of charge. And, we have team members who are dedicated in helping all of us with any questions we have about our benefits. Many of our roles offer a hybrid work-from-home option that provides the opportunity to work outside the office up to two days per week. As part of our mission to Do Good in our local, national, and international communities, we are encouraged to contribute our time, heart, and passion in volunteer activities. Each year, we receive paid time off to take inspired actions, empowering us to engage with local charities and non-profit partners.
we offer
A GREAT WORK ENVIRONMENT
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WE HONOR PEOPLE... With Our Great Work Environment In 2016, the leaders of our team decided to build a new headquarters. At the time, there wasn't a single tea facility that met LEED's high standards. For us, however, we felt that sustainability needed to start at our front door. After a long design and building process, we are proud to invest our workdays in the world's first LEED-certified tea production facility. Designing this building from the ground-up enabled our team to implement new practices that help to minimize waste, reduce emissions from natural gas, and maximize water efficiency, including: • Over 60% of building materials were locally sourced within 250 miles • No CFC-based refrigerants limit potential atmospheric impact • Roof membrane is 50% recycled content, made white to deflect heat • Ceiling tiles are made from 72% recycled material • The HVAC system is projected to save 33% • R.C.E. is providing 1,399 megawatt hours of wind energy • Potable water use inside the building has been reduced by 37% • Potable water use for landscape irrigation has been reduced by 56% • Carpet is 56% recycled content In addition, the energy we use is offset every year through the purchase of renewable energy credits. These credits go to funding green energy initiatives, whose emissions savings offset our energy usage, every day. Overall, our facility is supported by an abundance of natural lighting and indoor plants, which have been shown to reduce stress in a work environment.
sustainability is built into the walls around us
we are continuing
OUR COMMITTMENT TO BEING A B CORP
Why We Love Being B Corp Certified We feel proud by being a certified B Corporation, as it demonstrates our commitment to doing good holistically. We also feel proud to be one of the four B Corps in our hometown of Eugene, Oregon. B Corp Certification demonstrates that we meet high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on various factors... from employee benefits and charitable giving, to supply chain practices and input materials, which includes the treatment of workers, engagement with communities, customer assistance, supplier relations, and environmental action. As a B Corp, we strive to support quality, sustainability, and social responsibility on a local, national, and global level. As part of our commitment to this triple-bottom-line approach, we: • implement environmentally preferred practices • we support organic farming practices in our supply chain • Work with organizations in our local community and across the globe through partnerships that empower others to achieve their greatest potential and live vibrant lives. When we were initially certified in 2014, we hardly had to make any internal adjustment, as we were already in such alignment with B Corporation standards. Since then, the standards continue to increase, fueling our desire to continuously improve. Our European operations are also undergoing certification this year. The next time you see that distinctive B, know that you’re supporting values that are comprehensive, legally binding, and permeate every aspect of our operations. If you’d like to look over our scorecards, all our ratings are publicly available on: bcorporation.net
being a B Corp demonstrates our commitment to doing good holistically
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we are continuing
OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY
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We Are Committed To Sustaining Our Planet We have ongoing sustainability programs, as we are actively working to improve our sustainability efforts. Many team members are engaged, working on committees to turn our goals into actions. We are committed to making a positive impact on the planet. In our sustainability manifesto, we state that we want to improve the world around us. This means that by working together, we are creating a world that's better off because we're in it. Not just giving back what we take. Rather, contributing to the ongoing and gradual development of humanity.
we are creating a world that's better off because we're in it
We source about 200 different ingredients from farms around the world, and we want to help make all those farms healthier places to work and grow. The Rainforest Alliance is a strong, trustworthy third-party certification that verifies our efforts to ensure that our tea is a vehicle for positive change. Importantly, the Rainforest Alliance’s certification criteria emphasize continuous improvement rather than simply checking whether a farm is or isn’t meeting a standard. We believe this inspires our farmers to keep improving at every stage of their sustainability journey.
Actions We've Taken Looking back on our journey leading us to where we are today, we have evolved tremendously since 2011, having taken inspired action that continually demonstates our commitment to sustainability. We began this period of time by forming a partnerhsip with the Rainforest Alliance, followed by getting B Corp Certified in 2014. Our US branch has earned B Corp certification every year since 2014, In 2018, we built the first LEED certified tea manufacturing facility in the worlds, paving the way for our competitors to follow us. Also in 2018, we became BRING rethink certified, and started purchasing renewable energy. In 2019, we were honored to receive the Bold Steps award by the City of Eugene. And in 2020, we launched our sustainability vision statatement and pillars. Every step we take, we do so by honoring our planet.
This timeline is being updated
Our Manifesto We publicily declared our intentions. And we follow these every day. Come join us because togehter we can create a better world. Inspired action.
we are intentional with our
OUR PRODUCTS & authentic with
OUR BRANDS
We Have Amazing Products & Brands We are intentional with our products and authentic with our brands. We are mindful of who we work with, and the practices we use. We work with organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance, and always seek to source sustainable, organic ingredients. We blend our teas with intention. Our Yogi teas are created to support body and mind, combining ingredients to enhance their wellness-supporting potential. We blend only the best of what nature has to offer, using the finest spices and botanicals. Our Choice Organics collection of premium teas are sourced exclusively from organic and nonGMO growers around the world. We commit to putting the utmost care and attention into every tea bag. We’ve been doing it that way since 1989.
we are more than just a tea bag
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we do good
BY SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES
We Share In Our Success Doing Good has been part of our team's D.N.A... ever since the company was founded. We are committed to giving back to the world through our internal, local, national, and global giving. This commitment began with grassroots efforts, and has evolved into the East West Tea Foundation. We begin our sharing efforts internally, through our Hope Fund, supporting any of our EWTC team members in need. We are also honored to work with organizations through partnerships that align with our vision and help support the livelihoods and needs of communities we have relationships with. Through the EWTC foundation, our Day of Giving, and many local community programs, we strive to make an impact on our local communities, as well as strive to do good globally. The focus areas of giving align with our wellbeing focus, and include education, health, nutrition, water, safety, gender empowerment, and equality. All of us team members have the opportunity to make a direct impact with our Tea-M Member Day of Giving... a day when the company pauses all production to dedicate ourselves in supporting local non-profits, including Relief Nursery, Sunshine Division, FOOD For Lane County, and the Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah
Recent & Ongoing Doing Good Projects • EWTC Hope Fund for EWTC Team Members in need • The Kumari Project works to build safe and joyful childhoods for orphans in Nepal • The Medadumbara Scholarship program funding education and providing schooling for children who would not otherwise have this opportunity • Sorwathe Porridge Project in Rwanda, Africa designed to support healthy child development to nearly 1,000 children at local daycare centers and preschools on the Sorwathe tea farms • Y.O.G.A. for Youth to help provide customized yoga and mindfulness programming tailored to address youth population's behavioral, emotional, and physical needs
life is like tea... it's a what you p
e a cup of all about put into it
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we are grateful
THANK YOU!
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May you have enjoyed the experience of organizational discovery, and aligned with our collective energy, fostering wellness throughout the world. Perhaps now, you better understand what fuels our inspiration, engagement, and compassion. If you have any questions or would like to continue this conversation, please reach out to us at XYZ@EastWestTea.com. We are happy to speak with you, perhaps over a cup of tea!
East West Tea Executive Team