Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Canadian distributor quenches American thirst for Japanese tea
EcoTrend launches DōMatcha distribution deal with Whole Foods Markets
VANCOUVER, Canada – Health conscious North American consumers are taking advantage of ever increasing globalization in their quest for the world’s healthiest natural food and beverage products.
Shoppers in 13 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces now have access to a newly branded 800-year old recipe thanks to a deal involving a Japanese supplier, Canadian distributor, and an American retailer.
Vancouver based EcoTrend Ecologics Ltd. (EcoTrend) today unveiled a major new distribution agreement with popular U.S. natural foods retailer Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI).
“We’re very pleased to be working directly with Whole Foods,” said John Harrison, EcoTrend founder and CEO. “This is truly an international success story.”
Under the agreement Whole Foods Market will retail EcoTrend’s exclusive DōMatcha brand Japanese matcha tea to health minded consumers in California, Washington State, Oregon, Nevada, Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Hawaii.
The deal also includes Whole Foods outlets in Toronto as well as four stores, formerly Capers Community Markets, in Vancouver, Canada.
DōMatcha Japanese Green Tea is a product of the Shohokuen Manufacturing Company, makers of authentic Japanese matcha tea for over three centuries and members of Japan’s Inner Tea Circle.
“This is the best of the best,” said Harrison. “You won’t find a healthier natural beverage anywhere on the planet.”
Laboratory analysis demonstrates one cup of premium DōMatcha tea delivers the antioxidant equivalent of 8-10 cups of regular steeped green tea. Antioxidants are natural food compounds vital to human health.
First concocted by 13th century Zen monks, matcha tea today is known to help prevent infectious and cardio-vascular diseases, increase the production of calming serotonin, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and may even elevate metabolism assisting in weight loss.
Premium DōMatcha captured the retail imagination of Whole Foods’ regional tea buyer in Northern California, Dave Chavez.
“I’ve tasted a lot of matcha teas in the last two years, and I can say with confidence that DōMatcha has the best flavor and consistency of any I’ve tried,” said Chavez. “Our sales exploded when we started sampling out cold matcha smoothies in the summer.”
For interviews and information regarding matcha history, health analysis, and brand distribution contact:
Calli O’Brien
Director, DōMatcha Sales & Marketing
EcoTrend Ecologics Ltd.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
(604) 876-9876
calli@domatcha.com
www.domatcha.com
EcoTrend Ecologics Ltd.
EcoTrend Ecologics Ltd. is a Canadian distributor of premium quality, natural healthcare products serving retail clients and alternative health care practitioners in Canada and the U.S.
Under founder and CEO, John Harrison of Vancouver, BC, EcoTrend Ecologics Ltd. currently manages over 900 products, 46 suppliers, and nearly 2,000 accounts. Current annual sales projections stand at $10,000,000.
Since its inception in 1988, the company has grown from a one-person operation to a staff of 39 serving several of the industry's premier product lines as exclusive distributor.
EcoTrend enjoys a solid international reputation for customer service, superior products, and a commitment to preserving our natural world.
EcoTrend Ecologics Ltd
105 West 3rd Ave.
Vancouver, B.C., V5Y 1E6
(604) 876-9876 – Phone
(604) 876-9846 – Fax
Canada Toll Free: 800-665-7065
info@EcoTrend.ca
www.EcoTrend.ca
Match tea – the healthiest beverage on Earth?
Anecdotal evidence supporting the healthy properties of green tea can be found in Japanese writings dating back nearly 800 years.
Ancient Zen texts have long since given way to modern science, yet the basic list of health benefits associated with traditional Japanese matcha tea reads today much as it did in the 13th century: fewer illnesses, reduced mental stress, increased energy, heightened awareness, and prolonged youthfulness. Today scientists have identified the ingredients responsible for these “miracle” properties.
As a category, green tea contains large amounts of the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) considered by researchers as the key to its health promoting properties. Lab analysis reveals the concentration of this multi-purpose antioxidant is a whopping 137 times higher in matcha tea than in regular steeped green tea.
In 1949 a Japanese scientist first determined green tea beverages uniquely contain huge amounts of the amino acid L-theanine.
Subsequent research by Dr. Jack Bukowski of the Nutritional Science Research Institute in Maryland discovered L-theanine elevates the production of interferon gamma, a natural chemical crucial to protecting our bodies against such illnesses as colds, the flu, pneumonia, diarrhea, and many others.
Matcha’s high concentrations of antioxidant catechins are also known to help prevent cardio-vascular disease, increase the production of calming serotonin, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and may even elevate metabolism assisting in weight loss.
Matcha tea is also very affective at mitigating the jittery affects of caffeine, allowing matcha drinkers to relax, literally.
Today, traditional matcha tea is indeed recognized as one of the world’s healthiest natural beverages.