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Naturally Healthy GOURMET NEWS OCTOBER 2019 www.gourmetnews.com NATURALLY HEALTHY 1 2 Teas Continued from PAGE 1 a centuries-old history in remedies from other cultures. These ingredients are steeping slowly into the public consciousness due to con- sumers seeking out natural ways to feel bet- ter and maintain health. Mintel's Healthy Lifestyles report from November found that 65 percent of con- sumers seek func- tional benefits from their food and drink, and its "US Flavor and Ingredient Trends 2019" report listed "flavors that tap into relaxation and sup- port a healthy gut," along with "Ayurvedic-inspired in- gredients, adaptogens and botanical fla- vors," among those trending. These trends already have the attention of large mainstream retailers. When David Eberwein, Director of Innovation and Busi- ness Development at Shrooms Snacks, was making a sales presentation recently to one of his bigger national retail partners when he was asked about adaptogenic mush- rooms being added to coffee and tea. The brand, launched in recent years by 80-year- old mushroom producer South Mill, had al- ready been formulating ready-to-drink functional teas with reishi, lion's mane and chaga mushrooms, and that question from the retailer was the nudge that Shrooms needed to ramp up development ― and the teas launched in September. These new launches have been steadily increasing among new and established tea companies. Mintel's New Product Launches Analysis of products from 2014–2018 found that product launches making func- tionality claims have grown 19 percent in the last four years. It's a natural part of the evo- lution of tea, said Kristina Richens Tucker, Minister of Commerce and Enlightenment at Republic of Tea, which ex- panded its offerings of func- tional teas this year and last year. Republic of Tea, she said, is responding to increasing consumer familiarity with teas, herbs and botanicals as something to enjoy throughout the day and consumer requests for new and trendy ingredients. That means there's a tea for absolutely everybody, she added. And everybody is right ― more than half the U.S. population drinks tea on a daily basis ― but the general consensus is that Millennials largely drive this trend, with Baby Boomers following closely behind. Eighty-seven percent of Millennials drink tea, according to the Tea Association of the USA's fact sheet, and Fona International's Flavor Combinations report from May said Millennials and Gen Z are more willing than their older counterparts to try new and unique flavors. But even though Baby Boomers might not be interested in beverages that com- bine an exotic mush- room with botanicals in a fermented tea ― at least not on the merit of flavor ― some of them are looking to teas for health support. Good Nature Tea, for example, launched a line of functional teas last year and expanded them this year ― made with herbs processed by a Macedonian pharmaceuti- cal company called Alkaloid D, for teas marketed with specific health effects in mind, like controlled blood pressure and sugar levels, sleep, weight loss, detox and cholesterol. That line attracts Baby Boomers because a lot of them are dealing with high blood pressure and different diseases that are com- mon with older populations, explained Vic- toria Evans, Marketing and Business Development Manager at Good Nature Tea. They don't see the teas as an actual treat- ment for their conditions, but they do see a health benefit that could help prevent their conditions from getting worse, she said. Functional teas also find a market with active consumers, like Gagnon, and stressed consumers looking to recover from workouts or a long day at the office. Some teas have an appeal to this crowd through nutrition density, like Miracle Tree's moringa teas. Miracle Tree Owner and Founder Kunal Mirchandani ex- plained that moringa has ex- traordinary amino acid and antioxi- dant properties that consumers are looking for. And because the Millennial segment of active consumers still like caf- feine, said Mirchandani, he added a line of caffeine-infused moringa tea, which can promote fewer jitters thanks to L-thea- nine. The idea with these teas, explained Gagnon, is to replace high-caffeine, sugary drinks with holistic herbal alternatives that don't put the body through so much stress. Functional teas also give retailers and pro- ducers a chance to provide convenience for consumers, who might perceive the poten- tial for added value out of rituals they al- ready have. "If you're going to add functionality, you're going to do it in a habit that already exists," Gagnon said. "It's better that the consumer sees tea as a vehicle to be able to take an action to get an additional benefit. That's modern-day. It's two-for-one." GN Urban Farmer Gets Pickled in South Carolina urban farming project in Milwaukee, Wis- consin, and enrolled in its commercial urban agriculture training program. "In his retirement, he decided that he wanted to provide local organic produce to our community," Eric said. After his training in Wisconsin, Robbie returned to Columbia, South Carolina, his home town, and arranged to lease a 5-acre piece of city-owned property in an underdeveloped part of Columbia's downtown and turn it into an urban farm. "It was a joint project, initially," said Eric. The organization built a greenhouse on the property and added a com- mercial kitchen. Local stu- dents were encouraged to come and tour the property with their schools so they could learn something more about where food comes from. As the farm developed, City Roots started winning awards for successful urban develop- ment, and eventually, the city sold the land to City Roots. City Roots has experimented with a number of crops and business enter- prises through the years, from micro- greens to mushrooms and cut flowers and from agritourism to catering and be- came one of the largest microgreens sup- pliers in the Southeast, distributing to retailers and chefs across the re- gion. "We're close by and engaged in our commu- nity," said Eric McClam, who finished his studies at Tulane and returned to Columbia to become part of the project. "I got my hands dirty and started enjoying farming.... I've picked it up and run with it." Two years ago, the or- ganization added an 80- acre organic farm that's a few minutes away, and the farm now em- ploys 25 staff and is focused on its suc- cessful microgreens business, root crops and commercial hemp production and on continuing to be a community hub where students from local elementary schools and even the nearby University of South Carolina can come to learn about urban agriculture. "That's been a mission for a long time as well," Eric said. "We serve as a resource for them." This fall, the company will introduce pickles made in its commercial kitchen and CBD oil products made from its hemp into the retail market, starting with its home territory below the Mason Dixon Line, where City Roots is al- ready a familiar name in produce aisles across the region. "Our initial marketing push will be in the Southeast," Eric said. "Regionally in the Southeast is the initial focus, but we're not going to restrict where we go. We're already drop-shipping across the U.S." The pickles' initial launch will include five products, all certified organic: Classic Beets; Curry Beets, made with golden beets; Spicy Carrots and Ginger Carrots, both made with rainbow carrots; and Sweet Onion, which is made with red beets and onions. They're all packed in 16-ounce glass jars that will retail for $12 to $14 as well as in 32-ounce packages for foodser- vice applications. The company will also be launching its City Roots CBD line this fall. For more information, visit www.city rootspickles.com, www.cityrootscbd.com or www.cityroots.org. GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN City Roots is introducing a line of specialty pickles this fall. They come from a brand more familiar in the Southeastern U.S. for microgreens and mushrooms, and while the new line of pickles will be available first to retailers in the Southeast, co-Founder Eric McClam hopes to expand the pickles, along with new CBD oil products, beyond the region as the organic farm at the heart of the operation de- velops. City Roots was started in 2009 by father and son Rob- bie and Eric Mc- Clam, who were both architects. Rob- bie was nearing the end of his career in architecture even as his son was com- pleting his graduate degree in the field from Tulane Univer- sity. With the col- lapse of the real estate market in the Great Recession, both Robbie and Eric decided to abandon ar- chitecture to return to family roots in agriculture. Robbie had become inter- ested in Will Allen's Growing Power

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