MILWAUKEE —

Beverage maker Ito En Ltd has started full sales in North America of bottled green tea products from its mainstay “Oi Ocha” lineup, company officials said. In the market, Ito En previously focused on its Teas’ Tea drinks, which taste less bitter than green tea products sold in Japan.

But the company now thinks the market for green tea is fully established in North America, supported by the popularity of Japanese food and people’s greater health consciousness.

Ito En decided to sell the Oi Ocha series with the original taste after favorable results in recent test-marketing.

Since March this year, the number of retailers handling Oi Ocha products has increased to around 3,000. Many are in New York, where Ito En’s sales base is located.

Ito En also hopes its products will be sold by volume retailers, health food stores, Asian food retailers and convenience stores.

The company aims to make Oi Ocha a market leader in North America. In Japan, the series accounts for about 30 pct of the green tea drink market.

Ito En will consider selling Oi Ocha products in the West Coast region in the future. The company also hopes to set up a production base in North America by 2012.

Ito En started selling no-sugar green tea beverages in the United States in March 2002. At present, nine types of products are sold.

The U.S. tea drink market is estimated at $1.9 billion for 2007, Ito En officials said, noting particularly strong sales of no-sugar drinks.

JCN

4 Comments

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  Weasel at 05:11 AM JST - 9th June

  They've been selling the 2Lt bottles in Target stores in Arizona for quite some time. Didn't realize this was a breaking story.

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  SZATANA at 06:55 AM JST - 9th June

  Ito En products are sold at Asian markets around Chicagoland ( where I live ). Teas' Tea is their North American brand which sells some of their products through grocery store chains. I've been drinking tea since late 2005.

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  OssanULTRA at 12:08 AM JST - 10th June

  I've been seeing Ito-En bottled tea sold in various supermarkets. The Whole Foods chain have carried them for a few years. It's a good thing that Americans can enjoy "real" green tea instead of the excruciatingly crappy Rasberry-Honey-Gingseng-Dimsum-Flavored sweet Green Tea sold by US manufacturers.

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  SZATANA at 02:10 AM JST - 10th June

  Yes, Whole Foods only carries Teas' Tea brand which like a subsidiary of Ito En. Of course,they're just as good in my opinion. However, the imports of Ito En "Oi Cha" are usually near their expiration date or already expired at some Asian markets however. Jewel Food Stores carries the Dr. Weil teas which are on sale often. I buy a lot of those from there.

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