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Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/178110
issues," he says. "With our technology able to store functional content until you open the drink, we've solved that problem." At The Tao of Tea, Chawla is looking to push RTD freshness even further with a new line of teas slated for release in early 2014. Teas in this line won't undergo the acidification process that RTDs commonly go through to make them shelfstable. Rather, they will have a shelf life of two months and will have to be refrigerated during that time. While the refrigeration component will keep the line from the wide exposure it would receive amid other RTD brands on shelves, Chawla says it's worth making the sacrifice to deliver a better product. "It's the freshest RTD tea you'll be able to find— the only two ingredients are tea and water," he says. "And we find that we're going to be able to lead that segment because there's nobody else doing it." THE DRINK OF THE FUTURE? With Americans experiencing tea through RTD more often than any other medium, the category is key to the future of tea. As Millennials mature and become powerful buyers in a landscape where soda is no longer the automatic choice, RTD tea could be in an even stronger position going forward. "Consumers are trending toward healthier beverages, and … tea is ideally positioned to benefit from this paradigm shift," says Jage of World Tea Media. "And while fresh-brewed tea will almost always provide you with greater health benefits with a higher efficacy of its natural constituents, the American consumer will still be driven by convenience. It is far easier to change what people drink than how they drink it." freshcup.com October 2013 35