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.[3]
 | |
| Milo's Tea Co. | |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Beverage |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Milo Carlton Bea Carlton |
| Headquarters | Bessemer, Alabama[1] |
Key people | Tricia Wallwork (CEO)[2] |
| Revenue |
|
| Owner | Carlton family[4] |
Number of employees | ~100 (2013)[5] |
| Website | drinkmilos |
History
editMilo'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.[6] 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.[5][7] Starting in 1989, they then decided to sell it at grocery stores, calling it Milo's Famous Tea.[1][8] The first store they sold it at was the chain Piggly Wiggly.[9]
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.[4] It was settled in 2013, with the tea continuing to be served at the restaurant.[10]
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.[11] Lemonade, decaffeinated tea, and Arnold Palmers also debuted in that year.[5][12][13] A new logo debuted in 2020.[14]
Products
editThe 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: 1 US gal (3.8 L), 0.5 US gal (1.9 L), and 20 US fl oz (590 mL).[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Official website". Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ Leasca, Stacey (December 28, 2018). "Meet The Woman Still Making Milo's Sweet Tea The Best Drink In The South". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Southard, Lukas (September 28, 2022). "Doubling Sales In A Year, Milo's Tea Hits $400 million". BevNET.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Diel, Stan (September 6, 2012). "Milo's burger restaurant chain sues sister tea company". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c Azok, Dawn Kent (April 25, 2014). "Alabama beverage company Milo's Tea expands into states across the U.S., adds lemonade and other new drinks". The Birmingham News. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Yarborough, Kaitlyn (November 8, 2022). "Why Southerners Love Milo's Sweet Tea". Southern Living. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ "Beatrice Bannister Carlton Obituary". Dignity Memorial. August 7, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ "Milo's Celebrates National Iced Tea Day". BevNET.com. June 3, 2020. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Velasco, Eric (June 25, 2021). "How Milo's sweet tea became a phenomenon". SoulGrown. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Diel, Stan (March 4, 2013). "Milo's lawsuit settled, Milo's Famous Tea once again being sold in Milo's restaurants". The Birmingham News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Davis, Bryan (July 3, 2014). "Behind the deal: How Patricia Wallwork expanded Milo's Tea". Birmingham Business Journal. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Jage, George (May 12, 2014). "Milo's Sweet Tea: Three New Flavors". World Tea News. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Cornelius, Donna (June 17, 2014). "Milo's Introduces New Products for the First Time in Nine Years". Over the Mountain Journal. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ "Milo's Tea Co. unveils new look, updated label". Beverage Industry. February 10, 2020. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Sassos, Stefani (August 25, 2023). "These Are the 10 Best Iced Tea Brands for a Refreshing Sip". Good Housekeeping. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.