Honest Tea CEO to keynote NHBSR conference

Goldman will share the story of how he co-founded and grew Honest Tea from a small-home based business into the world’s largest organic tea company

The co-founder of the world’s largest organic bottled tea company will be speaking about his entrepreneurial experiences at a New Hampshire conference in May.

Seth Goldman, the co-founder and so-called “Tea-EO” of Bethesda, Md.-based Honest Tea, will be the keynote speaker for New Hampshire Business for Social Responsibility’s annual conference on May 12, at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

In his keynote address, Goldman will share the story of how he co-founded and grew Honest Tea from a small-home based business into the world’s largest organic tea company in just over a decade. The company, which he co-founded with Barry Nalebuff, one of his professors at the Yale School of Management, had more than $100 million in sales in 2013 and is carried by more than 100,000 outlets nationwide.

Goldman will also address the changes and opportunities that Honest Tea faced when it was acquired by Coca-Cola in 2011, along with his best advice to mission-driven business leaders who are seeking profit, commitment to transparency and unconventional marketing techniques.

In 2010, the Huffington Post named Honest Tea one of eight  "Ground-Breaking Socially Responsible Companies,” noting its purchase of renewable energy credits and upcycling program, which recycles drink pouches into products such as tote bags and outdoor furniture. All of the company’s tea varieties are Fair Trade Certified, with suppliers in India, China and South Africa.

Goldman has also initiated creative marketing partnerships with TerraCycle, Arbor Day Foundation and IndoSole to further the company’s sustainability and eco-friendly practices.

Goldman is also a frequent columnist for Inc. and the Huffington Post, as well as the author of a graphic novel, “Mission in a Bottle: The Honest Guide to Doing Business Differently – and Succeeding.”

The NHBSR conference, which will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., will explore corporate social responsibility as it pertains to the workplace, community and environment, as well as practical ideas for embedding sustainability into organization’s operations. The conference will be based off of last year’s “unconference” style – a more conversational approach that allows attendees to gather with peers and business leaders to explore their most pressing issues around corporate responsibility, sustainability and best practices.

For more information about the event, visit nhbsr.org. Registration will be open by the end of February.