Milo's Tea Company Explained

Milo's Tea Company
Trade Name:Milo's Tea Co.
Type:Private
Industry:Beverage
Founded:1989
Founder:Milo Carlton
Bea Carlton
Hq Location:Bessemer, Alabama[1]
Key People:Tricia Wallwork (CEO)[2]
Owner:Carlton family[3]
Num Employees:~100 (2013)

Milo's Tea Company is an American beverage company. It mainly sells its products, fruit teas, in grocery stores across the country. It was founded in 1989 as an offshoot of the Alabama-based restaurant chain Milo's Hamburgers. It is the fourth-largest iced tea maker in the country.[4]

History

Milo's Tea Company was sprouted from a burger restaurant called Milo's Hamburgers in Birmingham, Alabama. It was founded in 1946 by Milo Carlton and his wife, Bea, after Milo returned from his service in World War II.[5] After nearly forty years of business, the couple's son, Ronnie Carlton, and his wife Sheila then realized that the teas were the most popular item on the menu.[6] Starting in 1989, they then decided to sell it at grocery stores, calling it Milo's Famous Tea.[1] [7] The first store they sold it at was the chain Piggly Wiggly.[8]

The parent company of the restaurant, Milo's Franchise Co., previously owned both Milo's Hamburgers and Milo's Tea Company, but the restaurant company was sold in 2002, forming Milo's Tea Co. Milo's Franchise sued Milo's Tea in 2012, leading to a temporary pull of the brand of tea from the restaurant's stocks.[3] It was settled in 2013, with the tea continuing to be served at the restaurant.[9]

In 2014, the product transformed from a regional brand to a national brand, over doubling the amount of states it was available in to 38.[10] Lemonade, decaffeinated tea, and Arnold Palmers also debuted in that year.[11] [12] [13] A new logo debuted in 2020.[14]

Products

The company is most known for its sweet tea, which has been made since 1946. It has only three ingredients.[15] Extra Sweet Tea is a variety of this that adds more sugar to the ingredients. The Zero Calorie version has no sugar or calories. The company also offers unsweetened tea, a drink equivalent to an Arnold Palmer, and lemonade. There are three drink sizes:,, and .[1]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Official website . 2024-07-14 . July 9, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240709093953/https://drinkmilos.com/ . live .
  2. Web site: Leasca . Stacey . 2018-12-28 . Meet The Woman Still Making Milo’s Sweet Tea The Best Drink In The South . 2024-07-15 . . en-US . June 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210617002737/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/meet-woman-still-making-milo-162116342.html . live .
  3. Web site: Diel . Stan . 2012-09-06 . Milo's burger restaurant chain sues sister tea company . 2024-07-15 . . en.
  4. Web site: Southard . Lukas . 2022-09-28 . Doubling Sales In A Year, Milo’s Tea Hits $400 million . 2024-07-15 . BevNET.com . en-US . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017133021/https://www.bevnet.com/news/2022/doubling-sales-in-a-year-milos-tea-hits-400-million/ . live .
  5. Web site: Yarborough . Kaitlyn . 2022-11-08 . Why Southerners Love Milo's Sweet Tea . 2024-07-15 . . en . April 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230402044526/https://www.southernliving.com/food/drinks/milos-sweet-tea . live .
  6. Web site: 2015-08-07 . Beatrice Bannister Carlton Obituary . 2024-07-15 . Dignity Memorial.
  7. Web site: 2020-06-03 . Milo's Celebrates National Iced Tea Day . 2024-07-15 . BevNET.com . en-US . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315034322/https://www.bevnet.com/news/2020/milos-celebrates-national-iced-tea-day . live .
  8. Web site: Velasco . Eric . 2021-06-25 . How Milo's sweet tea became a phenomenon . 2024-07-15 . SoulGrown . en-US.
  9. Web site: Diel . Stan . 2013-03-04 . Milo's lawsuit settled, Milo's Famous Tea once again being sold in Milo's restaurants . 2024-07-15 . . en . June 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230604204553/https://www.al.com/business/2013/03/milos_lawsuit_settled_milos_fa.html . live .
  10. Web site: Davis . Bryan . 2014-07-03 . Behind the deal: How Patricia Wallwork expanded Milo's Tea . 2024-07-15 . . September 15, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140915150758/http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2014/07/behind-the-deal-how-patricia-wallwork-expanded.html . live .
  11. Web site: Azok . Dawn Kent . 2014-04-25 . Alabama beverage company Milo's Tea expands into states across the U.S., adds lemonade and other new drinks . 2024-07-15 . . en . May 3, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240503072305/https://www.al.com/business/2014/04/alabama_beverage_company_milos.html . live .
  12. Web site: Jage . George . 2014-05-12 . Milo's Sweet Tea: Three New Flavors . 2024-07-15 . World Tea News . en . July 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240715224616/https://www.worldteanews.com/Features/milos-sweet-tea-three-new-flavors . live .
  13. Web site: Cornelius . Donna . 2014-06-17 . Milo's Introduces New Products for the First Time in Nine Years . 2024-07-15 . Over the Mountain Journal . en-US . August 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220818034207/https://www.otmj.com/milos-introduces-new-products-for-the-first-time-in-nine-years/ . live .
  14. Web site: 2020-02-10 . Milo’s Tea Co. unveils new look, updated label . 2024-07-15 . Beverage Industry . en . February 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229042518/https://www.bevindustry.com/articles/92794-milos-tea-co-unveils-new-look-updated-label . live .
  15. Web site: Sassos . Stefani . 2023-08-25 . These Are the 10 Best Iced Tea Brands for a Refreshing Sip . 2024-07-15 . . en-US . July 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240715224617/https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-products/g44870573/best-iced-tea-brands/ . live .

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