Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Marketing Plan
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Overview The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf [CBTL] was founded by Herb & Mona Hyman in 1963 in Brentwood, California. CBTL is the oldest and largest privately held specialty coffee and tea retailer in the United States and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. According to Hoovers, online, the company operates approximately 900 franchised stores worldwide with sales of $198.1 million last year. CBTL serves various coffee, tea and blended drinks. CBTL stores sell a variety of bulk coffee and tea as well as assorted accessories such as tea pots, infusers, and coffee cups. CBTL’s three main competitors are: Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, and Caribou Coffee Company (http://www.hoovers.com). CBTL slogan says “find your flavor…is not just words it is a commitment to our customers and the foundation upon which we operate” (http://www.coffeebean.com). CBTL selects only the top one percent of Arabic beans for its coffee and uses the finest hand-plucked whole tea leaves. CBTL carefully roasts their coffee beans through the “art of crafting” to produce the best tasting coffee (http://www.coffeebean.com). They produce coffees from light and subtle to dark and distinctive. The company purchases their tea leaves directly from the growers in Sri Lanka, Kenya, China, Japan, Thailand, and India. Purchasing direct from the grower assures the tea leaves are handcrafted to CBTL’s standards for quality, taste, and heritage. Cultivated close ties to the growers helps CBTL stay connected to the people for whom the tea is a livelihood, which goes beyond fair wages by giving back to the plantations, estates, and communities by supporting local education and health-care programs (http://www.coffeebean.com). CBTL believes strongly in social responsibility and donates to charities, foundations, and schools in the United States and around the
References: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf online. Retrieved from http://www.coffeebean.com International Coffee & Tea LLC Company Information. Retrieved from http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company- profile.International_Coffee__Tea_LLC.1c39945802bce70b.html Pekala, Nancy ( 2009, November 11). Why Oh Why Women Y? Marketing to a Connected Generation. American Marketing Association. Retrieved January 19, 2013, from URL: http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/SearchResults.aspx?fb=q