Metromint Blog

celebrating earth day

4/25/08
by Jenn Chan, Area Manager – Northern CA

Women with Metromint totebags at Oakland, CA Earth Day event

This week, we had the opportunity to participate in a few wonderful community Earth Day events sponsored by Whole Foods in the Bay Area. On Tuesday, at the South of Market location, big blue balloons decorated the sky and the side street was filled with people, artists, dancers, musicians, and a variety of vendors. The sample food and drinks were delicious! There were an array of garbage bins with signs instructing folks on differences between recyclable and compostable trash. Neighboring communities came out to enjoy the festive day.

Michele Thorne and I were sampling Metromint at our vendor booth and introduced one of our newest varieties: Chocolatemint. We received a great response from the tasters and some even thought the idea of chocolate mintwater was wild! The biggest highlight from our sampling station was giving away our free Metromint reusable tote bags. Everybody used our bags to fill their groceries and other vendor sample goodies. Just imagine the street filled with moving blue polka dots! Also, we were happy knowing that the tote bags were instantly useful and we hope the bags will be used over and over again.

Overall, Earth Day was full of love, conversation, and education. Good times!

my year as a metromint all-star

4/15/08
by Lauren Thies, Metromint All Star

Lauren Thies cycling in the Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon

I've definitely enjoyed my involvement with Metromint as an All-Star. This year there were a total of twelve participants, and I was one of two swimmers.

This past summer I had an amazing experience representing the U.S. National Team in Swimming at the Pan American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I was nominated the Women's Team Captain and came home with two Gold medals!

On April 5th, I participated in my first triathlon: OSU's annual Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon. It was my first competitive event since Brazil and the conditions were anything but tropical. The tri involved a 500 yard pool swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run. Conditions were 44 degrees with winds in the high-teens... I was first out of the swim and ran to the transition area to grab my Metromint cycling jacket and get ready for the bike. Unlike swimming, where you actually rest between events, I now had to hop on a bike and try to average 18mph or better! With rain pricking my skin I tried to bear a smile. The run was great and I found my legs fairly quickly, which was suprising and nice. The event is very well run, nicely staffed and you can't beat the crowd supporting you every stroke, pedal, and step of the way— many thanks to the OSU Tri Club and supporters! I finished 2nd in my age group (25-29), and 9th overall out of 136 women. The woman who beat me in my age group was 1st overall for women— maybe I'll do triathalons more often?

Metromint is a great refresher while swimming, biking, running and doing Bikram yoga. I enjoy sharing both the product and the concept to my circle. I have been taking Metromint eveywhere I go— swim and yoga clinics, corporate special events, a run with a friend, family and social events. In my experience, kids enjoy Orangemint and Chocolatemint the best, my co-workers are nuts for Orangemint, my friends enjoy the mild taste of Lemonmint, and my family thinks Peppermint and Spearmint taste like mouthwash (I disagree!).

Stay hydrated, stay strong and keep believing in yourself and supporting those around you :)

a high tide floats all boats

4/8/08
by Matt Collins, CFO

Matt Collins, second from left, at Expo West 2006

In 2005, we attended the Natural Product's show in Anaheim for the first time. As all in the industry know, this is the show — both in terms of its impact in the natural foods market and its size. I always put up a good front in these types of situations and this was no exception; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some trepidation about competing with so many top notch products.

As we went about setting up our booth the day before the event, I noticed a guy eyeing us from afar. He was wearing a t-shirt branded with a competitor’s logo. As he began to approach I thought to myself ‘game on’ and I braced myself for digs and challenges. Once he got closer, though, he surprised me by saying “nice booth”. Surely, this was a slam of some sort couched in a compliment. But I soon realized it wasn't. He introduced himself, we talked about the upcoming show, and it became clear that what he meant by “nice booth” was “nice booth”.

This is only one of many instances in which colleagues from other independent natural beverage companies have recognized our efforts and proven their willingness to offer genuinely thoughtful advice or a helping hand. Perhaps the reason it sticks out in my mind is something that this "competitor" said at the end of our conversation — a high tide floats all boats.

At that moment I realized that, as much as we are competing with one another, this is anything but a zero-sum game. The successful tapping of new markets by one of us benefits us all. This is good for our bottom lines, and it has created a solidarity of sorts in which competitors have also become good friends. A big thank you to Ike (Penta), Todd (Hi Ball), Chris & Adriana (Zola), Steve & Jeanette (Gus), Mike (Vita Coca) and all of the other folks who have helped to make this one of the most professionally and personally rewarding
jobs I’ve ever held….continued good luck in your (and our!) success.

employee wellness initiative

4/1/08
by Joe Villafuerte, Director of Human Resources

This year we are implementing a new health incentive for all Metromint employees, a Wellness Program. The program is aimed at assisting our local and remote employees in maintaining a healthier balance when it comes to their own wellness. The company’s goal is to help boost employee satisfaction, increase productivity, reduce healthcare costs and cut absenteeism. We are working toward the Partnership for Prevention's "Healthy Workforce 2010”, helping America achieve its health objectives for the year 2010.

Our SF based employees have the opportunity to partake in a local health club, offerings from area yoga and dance studios, and a weekly organic fruit delivery. Our Valencia and remote employees may also take advantage of reduced fitness memberships. More wellness initiatives are in the works.