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!

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.

cherry on top at expo west

3/24/08
by Adam Hertel, West Coast Regional Chain Accounts Manager

We have been busy catching our breath following the 2008 Natural Products Expo West show held March 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Expo West is the top natural food and beverage tradeshow in the country. This year’s event attracted a record attendance of 52,000 attendees and 3400 exhibitors. Metromint used this opportunity to launch our new Cherrymint variety, the sixth addition to the Metromint line-up.

We were thrilled by the positive response from retailers, distributors, and industry professionals. Combined sampling of our recent Chocolatemint release alongside Cherrymint turned out to be a hit with an Expo fan base already familiar with our other lines. Thanks to all of you who stopped by our booth to say hello!

in the spirit of wellness and outreach

3/19/08
by Michele Thorne, Wellness and Outreach Director

Wellness education and community outreach are not only the tenets this company holds close to the vest, but they happen to be the pillars of my work here at Metromint. I consider myself one of the lucky ones because I often get the privilege to meet you, our consumer. Whether through email, phone, photo or in person (which is always good), I am grateful to have the ability to replace the singular term consumer, with many individual personalities.

I have had the great fortune to meet many of you at trade shows, at events where I have facilitated a hydration or wellness class with one of our retailers, at wellness centers and hospitals, or even at schools and countless outdoor events benefiting numerous causes, people and organizations. Truth is, I am usually invited to teach something, but invariably, I always learn something too. Often after the event is over, and while I am returning to the office in our big Metromint van, I get sparked and motivated to continue learning and also reflect on what I have learned.

This past week I was really fortunate because I was invited to share some of my wellness experience with the students at Francisco Middle School. I was also able to meet some of you at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, where I co- facilitated an anti-inflammatory foods class with our very own Metromint All Star, Brooke Benlifer. AND I spent some time with over 100 members from a chapter of the West Coast Road Runners in southern California! What I learned, again, was how great it feels to give—whether it is information, water, a smile or thank you.

To teach and to learn is the quintessential way of reciprocity. You all give us so much enthusiasm and support. So, in the true spirit of wellness and outreach (and reciprocity), the next time you have an event at your store, school, center, office or group, think of us at Metromint and give us a chance to give back to you…and remember, STAY HYDRATED!

metromint cycling kicks off the new season

3/4/08
by Bruce Johnson, Metromint Cycling

"What is Metromint? Do you work there?" These are two of the most common questions that members of Metromint Cycling are asked while training all over the roads of the San Francisco bay area. The distinctive Blue Dots bring the team a lot of attention. While we don't technically work at Metromint, our philosophies are well aligned: choosing and promoting healthy lifestyles, building camaraderie by working together as a team, and setting and achieving goals through focus and discipline and fun, both on and off the bike.

As the 2008 bicycle racing season begins, Metromint Cycling is putting all the right pieces in place: hours of training on our local roads, coaching from Whole Athlete, technical bike support from Montano Velo and Big Swingin Cycles, and on the bike nutrition from Clif Bar Inc. More importantly, we're building relationships that are a prerequisite to performing well together as a team. The women held their training camp in December, and the men headed to San Luis Obispo in January for their training camp. The all-team camp returned to Petaluma in late-January during the epic rains which flooded many areas in Sonoma County. The sun broke through at the right moment and we had some epic, beautiful cycling both days, taking us along the north coast and through the Napa valley area.

One way to develop as a cyclist and take the team to the next level is to compete in tougher events, against tougher competitors. This year Metromint Cycling is excited about our initiative to travel across the United States and compete in some of the top races in the U.S. which are open to amateur athletes. These include classics such as Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minnesota, the International Tour de Toona in Pennsylvania, the International Cycling Classic (aka Superweek) in Wisconsin, Mt. Hood, Elkhorn and Cascade Cycling Classics in Oregon, and Manhattan Beach Criterium and San Dimas Stage Race in California. Already there have been some positive early results in big races: Fred Stamm and Sean Rhea, both cat 2 racers, headed to Arizona to compete in Valley of the Sun Stage Race. They posted impressive early season results with Fred winning the road race, and Sean taking 8th overall for the general classification (GC). We're excited about the opportunity to take the team to a new level.

One big race that we want to highlight is the recent first ever Tour of California Women's Criterium, held in Santa Rosa, on February 18. Three of our cat 2 women, Jane Robertson, Elis Bradshaw, and Amanda Eaken fired up to put on a brilliant display against some of the best women on the national circuit. You can read about their adventures on our team website.

See you out on the road!!!

valentine's day recap

2/25/2008
by Moselle Hindle, Marketing Manager

When was the last time a stranger wished you “Happy Valentine’s Day?” On Thursday February 14th, more than 250 people got a Happy Valentine’s Day wish from me, and I was amazed at the happiness my random act of Metromint kindness generated! The smiles. The laughs. Maybe it was the bottle of Chocolatemint I was offering them. Maybe it was the idea that a stranger would be wishing them Happy Valentines Day. Or maybe it was my bright red wig.

Whatever it was, the entire San Francisco-based Metromint staff was out spreading Metromint love— from King Street Cal Train station to Union Square. We handed out over 2500 bottles of our new Chocolatemint Metromint and in return, received smiles, thanks, laughs and, yes, even a romantic offer or two for dates!

The feedback we received was mostly positive. Our newest variety, Chocolatemint, may seem a little unusual but, believe me, it’s just as delicious and refreshing as our other varieties. Of course, some people do not want to mix their water with chocolate and will not try it at all. Maybe they don’t like chocolate, or maybe they assume it is sweetened. I think they would be surprised if they did taste it. If you haven’t tried it already, you’ll have to see for yourself.

We’re looking forward to getting a lot of feedback from the natural food stores, cafes, and restaurants on both Chocolatemint and a new soon-to-be-released variety which, as Scott mentioned last week, will feature red dots. We’ll be at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA from March 14 – 16th. If you’re planning on going there, stop by our booth, #2572.