Celestial Seasonings
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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Herbal tea |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Headquarters | Boulder, Colorado |
| Key people | Peter Burns, President |
| Products | Tea |
| Parent | Hain Celestial Group |
| Website | www.celestialseasonings.com |
Celestial Seasonings is a tea company based in Boulder, Colorado, United States that specializes in herbal tea but also sells green, wellness, red, white, chai, holiday and black teas. They account for over $100,000,000 in herbal tea blends sales in the United States annually.[1] All of their teas are certified kosher and all-natural, and many are certified organic as well. The Boulder factory conducts free guided tours daily and has a sampling bar for visitors to try any tea for free, as well.
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[edit] History
Celestial Seasonings founders Mo Siegel, John Hay, Peggy Clute and others started gathering herbs and flowers in the mountains around Boulder and selling them to local health-food stores in 1969. The company name was derived from co-founder Lucinda Ziesings' nickname.[2]
In the 1970s the company grew rapidly, creating popular herbal tea blends (such as Sleepytime and Red Zinger) and moving to larger headquarters twice; they were selling internationally by 1977. Celestial Seasonings created and sponsored the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic race in Colorado during the 1970s.
Celestial Seasonings was purchased by Kraft Foods in 1984 which expanded the marketing of the brand both nationally and internationally. Mo Siegel retired in 1986, and the next year, Kraft announced they would sell Celestial Seasonings to Lipton. The sale was successfully challenged by Bigelow under anti-trust laws, and local management purchased the company back from Kraft in 1988.
In 1990 Celestial Seasonings moved into new headquarters in a custom-designed facility in North Boulder. Mo Siegel returned in 1991 to serve as CEO. The company continued to grow and introduce new products through the 1990s.
Celestial Seasonings merged with natural food company The Hain Food Group in 2000 to form the Hain Celestial Group. Mo Siegel retired for the second time in 2002.
[edit] References in media
- In the 2007 movie Catch and Release, Sam (played by Kevin Smith) works for Celestial Seasonings, ostensibly in package design—throughout the movie, he quotes famous authors that he says he put on the boxes for various Celestial Seasonings teas (Tummy Mint, Red Zinger, etc.).
- In the third season of the sitcom Seinfeld, in the episode "The Dog", during a conversation between George Costanza and Elaine Benes, it is revealed that Jerry Seinfeld enjoys Morning Thunder tea unaware that it contains caffeine.
- In season 4, episode 21 of Gilmore Girls, Lane Kim's (played by Keiko Agena) housemate Brian includes Sleepytime in his list of teas on offer when Mrs Kim comes to visit.
- In the Scott Pilgrim comics and film, Scott and Ramona are at her house. After offering Scott a long list of teas, she settles on Sleepytime.
- In Season 8, episode 8 of That '70s Show Kitty Forman's friend Marsha gives her a box of Celestial Seasonings chamomile tea.
- Sleepytime, Red Zinger, and Morning Thunder, all varieties of Celestial Seasonings teas, were used as trail names in Tea Cup Bowl at Vail Ski Resort in Vail, Colorado.
- The Replacements song Bent Out of Shape references Sleepy Time tea in the lyrics A little sleepy-time tea/Spiked with another heartache .
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Modern Marvels: "Tea Education" (episode 553), December 13, 2006.
- ^ Celestial Seasonings' Interactive Timeline. Accessed Feb 14, 2008.
