This post is part testimonial to the power of Twitter and part testimonial to really tasty tea. About a month or so ago, I happened to meet MaryAnn Rollano on Twitter. I was surprised and delighted to find a local girl with what looked like a great new product. I contacted MaryAnn through Twitter. We met for lunch and I sampled her delicious Iced Tea. And, now, I am here to sing the praises of MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea. Not a bad return for Mary Ann’s very brief time spent on the social networking scene.
I am such a huge fan and believer in the power of social media that I have started consulting small businesses on how to blog and use social media to brand themselves online. In June, I will be conducting a workshop on this very topic. So if you or someone you know is interested, please hurry. The workshop is intentionally small. We want to have one on one time with each attendee. You can read more about it on our Events page.
Now, back to Maryanna’s Summer Sweet Tea. What sets this iced tea apart from all the others on the market is that it is all natural. Fresh lemon juice, real cane sugar and tea, that’s it. MaryAnn explained to me how hard it was to find a supplier for lemon juice. She said manufacturers just expect you to use Citric Acid, but she was determined to create a tea just like the one her mother who emigrated from Ireland had made all her life. (You can read more about her family and their love of tea here.)
On her quest to bring her homemade tea to market, she discovered the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Bridgeton. The RFIC “provides assistance in business development, market research, product and process development, workforce development and training, regulations and compliance support, and quality assurance and food safety systems.” I had no idea this resource was available, but now that I do, I definitely will be taking the trip to tour the facility. MaryAnn explained how she made her very first batch of Iced Tea on the premises of the Rutgers facility and how they later helped her locate a plant that would produce her tea the way she wanted it done; real brewed tea with all natural ingredients. She said she had a very hard time finding a plant that would agree to actually brewing tea.
MaryAnn’s tenacity finally paid off. Her tea in my opinion, is the best bottled Iced Tea I’ve ever had. There is no chemical aftertaste and you get the bonus health benefits of drinking real tea. MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea is now available in stores up and down the Jersey shore. She has also started shipping her tea so you don’t have to be a Jersey native to enjoy this all natural goodness. And, she offers free shipping.
I know you will love MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea lovingly made by an original Jersey girl. Please support her and keep your eyes open for her beautiful bottles on the shelves of your local deli or grocery store. You can find a list of stores that carry MaryAnna’s here.
And, finally, if you think your business would benefit from the power of social media sign up for our workshop or contact me for private coaching.
That Rutgers facility sounds great, as does the tea. I’m not a tea drinker of any kind, but a lot of my family and friends are, so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for this one.
Hiya Deb! I think it is great that we have so many fabulous local products made here at the Jersey Shore!! I will be on the lookout for Mary Anna’s tea tomorrow while I am out and about. After your review I have GOT to try it!
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Great stuff, Deb! I will certainly be on the lookout for MaryAnna’s tea. The Rutgers facility down in Bridgeton is going to be a great help to a number of businesses, I believe.