Ito En

Infobox_Company
company_name = ITO EN
company_| company_type = Private
foundation = ?
location = Tokyo
industry = Beverage
products = Tea
homepage = [http://www.itoen.com ITO EN]

nihongo|ITO EN|伊藤園 (tyo|2593) is a Japanese multinational beverage company specializing in tea production, distribution, and sales. [ [http://www.itoen.co.jp/eng/companyinfo/index.html Ito En, Ltd. ¦ Who Is ITO EN? ] ] ITO EN is the largest green tea distributor in Japan. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E6DD1531F93AA25752C0A9659C8B63# FOOD; Read It and Steep - New York Times ] ] The Ito En Group includes subsidiaries based in Japan, The United States, and Australia. [ [http://www.itoen.co.jp/eng/group/index.html ITO EN, LTD. ¦ The ITO EN Group ] ] Its products include unsweetened, bottled green tea and high-end loose leaf tea. ITO EN distributes its products globally, including in the United States, where it has established a flagship retail location in New York City at 822 Madison Avenue and 69th Street.

Within the United States

ITO EN (North America) Inc. was founded in May 2001 to introduce ITO EN's line of green tea products to the United States. In order to accomplish these goals, the company developed a three-tier strategy, simultaneously entering the beverage wholesale, retail, and restaurant industries. In 2002, the Teas' Tea line of natural, unsweetened bottled teas was launched. The product line functions as the centerpiece of ITO EN (North America) Inc. The product line, along with the Gotta Juice line, was first introduced through wholesale distribution in New York City and the Tri-State area. In order to give access to a wider clientèle, a flagship store was opened on New York's Madison Avenue, home to many of the world's most prestigious retailers. The flagship store holds the ITO EN New York store and KAI Restaurant. The breadth of ITO EN (North America) Inc. is increasing through the development of new beverage and loose leaf tea products, the expansion of its distribution network to a national level, e-commerce, and the growth of its retail and restaurant operations. [ [http://www.beverageworld.com/content/view/34156/ Ito En Expands Presence in Mainstream Supermarkets - Beverage World ] ]

Within the US the company currently has six lines of products. The pre-brewed teas all contain added vitamin C.
*Tea's Tea, an unsweetened-only variety that focuses on traditional Japanese tea flavors, such as Jasmine and Hoji
*Sencha Shot, an unsweetened-only product that focuses on a concentration of green-tea antioxidants
*ITO EN Natural Fruit Tea, a lineup of sweetened fruit flavored teas
*Oi Ocha, marketed as their "original green tea."
*Café Sepia, a line of tea lattes that contains sugar and milk
*The ITO EN line of loose leaf tea, which they claim includes over 100 varieties
*Ito En also manufactures a "Kirkland Signature" brand green tea for Costco

ITO EN also sells a line of high-end teabags, which are available through its website. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/dining/13tea.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 Tea’s Got a Brand New Bag - New York Times ] ]

External links

*en icon [http://www.itoen.co.jp/eng/ ITO EN, LTD.]
*en icon [http://www.itoen.com/ ITO EN (North America) INC.]

References