Specialty Food Magazine

WINTER 2014

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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2014 LEADERSHIP AWARD: BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Ron Rubin, The Republic of Tea I nvoking a mantra of "Sip by Sip Rather than Gulp by Gulp," Ron Rubin has embraced health and well-being in all aspects of his work, from the ethical sourcing of restorative teas to engaging his staff to embrace a healthful and mindful lifestyle. Inspiration Rubin was inspired not only to preach the mantra to consumers, but also practice it within the company. Every aspect of the business incorporates the mindfulness its products aim to evoke, from ethical sourcing and eco-friendly packaging to a program dedicated to employee health and wellness. "From day one, tea took us into the direction of a Healthy Minister Program," Rubin says of the program that not only encourages but helps employees—playfully called Ministers as part of the company's self-identity as "an independent republic," Rubin explains—to live a healthful lifestyle. Delight in Every Bite. A of Almond inter Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 371 40 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com PHOTO: STEVE HUMPHREY When Rubin bought The Republic of Tea in 1994, two years after its founding, he saw an opportunity in a growing movement. Healthconscious consumers were paying more attention to what they ate and drank, premium beverages like Perrier and Evian were entering the market, and Whole Foods was blazing a trail to a new lifestyle millions would come to embrace. Twenty years later, The Republic of Tea is a top purveyor of more than 300 premium teas and tea products available at some 20,000 gourmet retailers and restaurants in the United States. At the outset, tea was still a fledgling category. "Everybody was drinking coffee and speeding things up, trying to get a buzz versus slowing their lives down," says Rubin. He took to heart the founders' "Sip by Sip Rather than Gulp by Gulp" slogan, which embodied the focus on health and wellness that tea is synonymous with today.

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