This is the Steaz comeback story! Hear how the brand founders were brought back into the company to help renew the purpose and passion of the brand, which led to a collaboration with Wild Orchard to launch the first line of Regenerative Organic Certified ® canned teas! We speak with Eric Schnell of Beyond Brands, who was one of the original founders of Steaz, to learn more about the history of Steaz and his vision for the reboot. Then Mike Fransz, Director of Marketing for Nova Naturals, the company that owns and manages the Steaz brand now, shares why they brought the founders back and how it’s recharged the whole team and brand. Michael Ham, co-founder of Wild Orchard, then shared the story of the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified ® tea farm and the role they play in this collaboration. We discuss the new product line, the challenges of this innovative and collaborative process, and what’s bringing each guest hope for the future of our food system. Enjoy!

Takeaways:

• Steaz was the first certified organic soft drink brand in America.
• Steaz was also the very first fair trade certified tea.
• The journey of Steaz began with a passion for tea and health.
• Reviving Steaz involved bringing back the founders to guide its new direction.
• The collaboration with Wild Orchard got them access to the world’s only Regenerative Organic Certified ® green tea.
• Wild Orchard was the first USDA organic certified farm in Korea.
• Regenerative Organic agriculture enhances soil health and product quality.
• The younger generation is increasingly conscious of health, environment, and where their food comes from.
• Challenges in R&D delayed the launch of new products.
• Transparency in the supply chain builds consumer trust.
• Steaz’s 1% for the Planet commitment reflects their dedication to sustainability and regenerative agriculture.

Sound bites:

• “Our five P's, which is what we call the Quintuple Bottom Line Business Value System is rooted in Passion, Purpose, People, Planet, and Prosperity.”
• “We helped get the first fair trade certified tea estate in Sri Lanka up and running.”
• “We're evangelists for this regenerative organic certification process, not because it's just the cool next thing, but because it creates really meaningful impact across so many different places around the globe.”
• “The farm that was regenerative organic had the bees and the birds and the deer running through. It seemed to just attract an ecosystem, like Gaia.”
• “When we consume foods grown in healthy soil, it's actually syncing everything with our gut microbiome and it improves our overall health.”
• “At Steaz we call it doing good by brewing good.”
• "You are what you eat. If the soil is healthy, the plant's going to be healthy and tastier, and then when we eat it, it's going to be better in our body too!”
• “Everybody loves a comeback story. And this is a great one. One of the best I've seen.”

Links:

Steaz - https://drinksteaz.com/

Steaz on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/steaz---the-healthy-beverage-company/

Steaz on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/officialsteaz

Steaz on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steaz/

Steaz on X - https://www.facebook.com/officialsteaz

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Eric Schnell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-schnell-b133a425/

Beyond Brands - https://beyondbrands.org/

Beyond Brands on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondbrands/

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Mike Fransz on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefransz/

Nova Naturals - https://nova-natural.com/

Nova Naturals on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/nova-natural/

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Michael Ham on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-d-ham/

Wild Orchard - https://www.wildorchard.com/

Wild Orchard on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wildorchardteas/

Wild Orchard on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wildorchardteas/#

Wild Orchard on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wildorchardteas

Wild Orchard on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ21UewP8Yx6ZMlzh8NKe0w

Wild Orchard on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@wildorchardtea

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Natural Products Expo West: https://www.expowest.com/en/home.html

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Brands for a Better World Episode Archive - http://brandsforabetterworld.com/

Brands for a Better World on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-for-a-better-world/

Modern Species - https://modernspecies.com/

Modern Species on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-species/

Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagemitchell/

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Print Magazine Design Podcasts - https://www.printmag.com/categories/printcast/

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Heritage Radio Network - https://heritageradionetwork.org/

Heritage Radio Network on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-radio-network/posts/

Heritage Radio Network on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeritageRadioNetwork

Heritage Radio Network on X - https://x.com/Heritage_Radio

Heritage Radio Network on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heritage_radio/

Heritage Radio Network on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@heritage_radio

Chapters:

03:00 The Origins of Steaz: A Journey Through Tea

09:16 Reviving a Legacy: The Return of Founders

18:13 Collaboration for Change: Steaz and Wild Orchard

23:48 Understanding Regenerative Organic: A New Standard

28:03 The Impact of Healthy Soil on Health and Taste

35:00 The Rise of Regenerative Organic Certification

37:55 Community and Education in Regenerative Practices

41:03 Commitment to the Planet: 1% for the Planet

43:00 Challenges in Collaboration and Supply Chain

53:55 Hope for the Future of Food Systems

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