Seattle, WA July 12, 2006 – In an effort to further reduce their environmental footprint and meet increasing demand, Choice Organic Teas announces the arrival of their innovative new tea bagging machine that replaces the staples with the elegant simplicity of knotted string.

In 1989, Choice Organic Teas chose to make tea bags without glue or heat-sealed polyfilaments.  The new knotted-string innovation continues the company’s efforts to bring their customers the purest tea product in the world, packaged for convenience with materials causing the least impact on our environment.

The new machine, a C27 from Italian manufacturer IMA (Industria Macchine Automatiche) is the latest generation from a leader in tea packaging machinery and is the first in the US.  This technologically advanced machine eliminates the staples attaching the Choice Organic Teas tag to the teabag, annually preventing over 400 miles of staple wire from going into landfills. 

As technicians from Italy perform the sophisticated installation of the new machine, Blake Rankin, president of Choice Organic Teas, notes “We are thrilled to be able to meet increasing consumer demand for our organic teas, while at the same time furthering our commitment to environmentally sound packaging.”

Choice Organic Teas will continue to manufacture their teabags from unbleached natural fiber filter paper.  Choice Organic Teas’ entire Original Line, 16 teabags per box, will be manufactured on the new machine and will be available in natural foods marketplaces, cooperatives, gourmet food shops and select mass-market retailers around the country, as well as through their web site (www.choiceorganicteas.com).

A brand of Granum, Inc. of Seattle, Choice Organic Teas made its debut in 1989 as an outgrowth of the company founder, Blake Rankin’s active involvement in the organic marketplace. As North America’s # 1 selling exclusively certified organic tea line they have promoted the growth and development of organic agriculture in tea estates worldwide. They offer more than seventy varieties of Black, Green, Oolong, White teas, and herbal infusions available in teabags and loose leaf. In 2000, Choice Organic Teas became the first tea crafter in the United States to offer Fair Trade Certified tea, expanding awareness of a just form of trade with the developing world. Choice Organic Teas are manufactured in a certified organic facility where Green-e Certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) from wind power are purchased to offset 100 percent of the facility’s electricity. Visit www.choiceorganicteas.com for more information. 

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Autumn White Weeks

Choice Organic Teas / Granum, Inc.

(206) 525-0051

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