Good Earth to donate 50% of tea and coffee sales to charities

Wednesday, January 27th 2010 @ 10:44 AM

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CONSUMERS CONTINUE TO CHOOSE THE CHARITIES ONLINE
FOR  “GOOD EARTH® CARES” PROMOTION

GOOD EARTH® TO DONATE 50% OF TEA AND COFFEE SALES TO CHARITIES CHOSEN BY VOTERS AT GOODEARTHCARES.COM

It started on October 25, 2009.  Good Earth kicked off a promotion designed to make it easier for people to donate to their favorite charities during these challenging economic times. The company is giving away 50% of the profits from its coffee and tea sales, and is asking customers to vote online at GoodEarthCares.com to decide which charities will receive the donation. The three charities with the most votes will share the proceeds.

"GOOD EARTH CARES is a unique collaboration between Good Earth and the American public," says Deborah Glasser, Marketing Director at Good Earth. "Our customers can feel good, knowing that part of the purchase price of each product is going to a great cause - and they can help decide which charities receive the donation." For every package of Good Earth Tea and Good Earth Coffee sold between October 25, 2009 and February 28, 2010, Good Earth will donate 50% of its after-tax profit to charity. And voters can visit the website to cast their vote once per day during the promotion period. Complete details are available at GoodEarthCares.com.

GOOD EARTH CARES will be announced via a free-standing newspaper insert dropping October 25, 2009 – the program launch date – as well as online advertising. Consumers and charities will have the opportunity to spread the word via share tools and will receive additional support from Good Earth. Twitter (@GoodEarthTea) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/GoodEarthTea) will also be tapped to get the word out.

About Good Earth
Part of the Tata Group, the largest India-headquartered multinational in North America, Good Earth is dedicated to brewing goodness into each and every cup of their delicious premium coffees and teas, ensuring a purity and authenticity in a wide variety of blends. One of the first American herbal companies and a leader in specialty tea, Good Earth Teas brings full flavored, healthy teas from around the world to the U.S. Its sister brand, organic Good Earth Coffee, boasts great-tasting, 100% specialty grade Arabica beans that create an unrivaled aroma and great premium taste. The Tata Group also includes award-winning Eight O'Clock Coffee and Tetley Tea. On Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodEarthTea On Twitter: @GoodEarthTea

Tourism Office salutes small-business segment of lodging industry

Friday, January 8th 2010 @ 2:05 PM

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B&Bs, hot tea provide seasonal comfort

BALTIMORE – Jan. 5 – Don't let the chill of winter drag you down, says the Maryland Tourism Office. Replenish your spirit, soothe your soul with a cup of tea and a visit to a bed and breakfast or inn.

Maryland has about 200 bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) and inns throughout the state – from the Eastern Shore to Mountain Maryland – where visitors can find refuge and relaxation, and often, an opportunity to enjoy a spot of tea.

"B&Bs are the epitome of small-business enterprises – and small business is the driving force for the state's tourism industry," says Gov. Martin O'Malley. "Moreover, when travelers select a B&B, they get a chance to connect with people who can offer an insider's perspective on a particular part of Maryland. Visitors then get inside information on the great places to dine, and those wonderful authentic treasures that make each Maryland region unique."

Margot Amelia, executive director of the Maryland Tourism Office, says: "B&Bs are perfect for any kind of getaway. During this time of year, they are especially enticing as places where you can unwind from the frenetic pace of the holiday season."

A B&B can also be a place where guests come to extend their holiday or experience a delayed celebration because of family obligations and military service, says Joseph Lespier, president of the Maryland Bed and Breakfast Association and innkeeper at The Annapolis Inn. "That's why we sometimes keep our Christmas decorations up well into January," he adds.

B&Bs tend to be relaxed and informal, so guests should feel free to ask for things – like afternoon tea, for instance, Lespier says.

In recognition of the state's B&B industry, the Tourism Office has designated January as a time to trumpet the virtues of B&Bs and inns in its Maryland Spotlight campaign – a monthly promotion that highlights distinctive aspects of Maryland tourism. And, in tribute to January as National Hot Tea Month, tourism officials are also calling attention to tea time across Maryland.

"You can always enjoy a relaxing cup of tea in the afternoon at a cozy B&B," Amelia says. "You can also sip tea at a number of other interesting places around the state – tea rooms, taverns and museums, for instance."

Here is a sampling of B&Bs, inns and other locations that feature tea in each of Maryland's five regions:

Eastern Shore

• Brampton Bed & Breakfast Inn, located on a 20-acre wooded property in Kent County just outside of Chestertown, serves a daily afternoon tea. Chestertown is a prominent tea location. A second colonial Tea Party occurred in its harbor – in May 1774, five months after the one in Boston. The Chestertown Tea Party Festival celebrates this event every May.
• Inn at 202 Dover, in Easton, is a Victorian-era mansion built in 1874 and restored in 2005. It serves a three-course afternoon tea on Thursdays, featuring finger sandwiches, scones and pastries. Tea parties are also available.
• Marquis Manor in Crisfield and its sister restaurant, Blue Crab Café – a few blocks away by the docks – both serve a variety of teas along with petits fours and pastries. The B&B property was restored in 2006, 100 years after it was built.
• Victoria Gardens Inn, run by a British-born proprietor in Cambridge, serves both afternoon tea and then high tea (several hours later) by request. The inn occupies an 18th-century house in the historic part of town.

Southern Maryland

• St. Michael's Manor Bed & Breakfast, on Long Neck Creek near the southern tip of St. Mary's County, serves tea for groups by request. The home is on a property once part of the 1639 land grant to Gov. Leonard Calvert and was likely built in 1805. A vineyard – not to be confused with St. Michaels Winery in Talbot County – is on the premises.
• Victorian Candle Bed & Breakfast, an early 1900s home located on a wooded property in Hollywood, has an afternoon tea, by request. Sotterley Plantation (the only remaining Tidewater plantation open to the public) and Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum are nearby.
• Brome-Howard Inn, located on the banks of the St. Mary's River, serves breakfast and afternoon tea. Tea service for groups of 20 or more is available. The house was built in 1840 on a 3,000-acre tobacco and wheat plantation in St. Mary's City. In the mid-1970s, the state of Maryland purchased the property in order to preserve the archeological remnants of Maryland's first capital. The house was moved it to its present location in 1994.

Capital

• Cozy Catoctin Tea Room, located at the Cozy Inn near the presidential retreat Camp David in Thurmont, has four levels of mid-day tea service. Groups of 15 or more can reserve special seating times. The Cozy, established in 1929, claims to be the oldest family-owned restaurant in the state. Its Camp David Museum houses presidential memorabilia that dates back to Herbert Hoover's administration.
• The Inn at Buckeystown occupies an 1897 mansion in an area replete with Civil War history near the Monocacy River. SeredipiTea, the inn's tea room, serves more than 60 varieties of loose teas. Tea parties for special occasions and groups can be arranged.
• Serenity Tearoom owner Blanch Henry has collected tea cups and saucers since childhood. She serves afternoon tea – includes scones, strawberries and tarts – Tuesday through Saturday at her downtown Frederick location. Lunch is also available and a gift shop is on the premises.

Central

• Reynolds Tavern, the oldest tavern in Annapolis – located in a Georgian-style structure that was built in 1747 near the State House building – serves afternoon tea in what it terms "an authentic British style and atmosphere." Tea accessories are available in the gift shop. The tavern also offers accommodations in three suites.
• The Casual Cup Tea Room & Gift Shop in northern Baltimore County (Phoenix) offers homemade candies and cookies to complement tea. Children's tea service includes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. "Tea parties to go" available. Bake shop on premises.
• Historic Oakland – a blend of Federal, Greek Revival and Colonial Revival architecture – was built in Howard County as a country home for a leading Maryland legislator in 1811. Used today for special occasions, conferences and other events, Oakland hosts afternoon teas on the last Thursday of every month (September to June) and winter teas on occasional Sundays, from January through March.

Western Maryland

• Gordon-Roberts House in Cumberland, built in 1867, includes a cup of tea on each tour. Themed tea socials are also held the fourth Friday of every month. The three-story house is among a small group of Second Empire-style homes in Cumberland's Washington Street Historical District.
• Terra Angelica, an historic bed and breakfast on a property deeded in 1790, serves afternoon tea by reservations to groups. A wellness center is located on the 247-acre property. During the Civil War, the home was a safe house for the Underground Railroad.
• Historic Jacob Rohrbach Inn, in the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Sharpsburg, is within walking distance of Antietam, the well-known Civil War battlefield. Built in 1804, the inn shows signs of being hit by artillery fire during that one-day battle. In addition to Antietam, three other national parks are nearby: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Appalachian Trail and Harpers Ferry.

More information about B&Bs in the state is available at the Maryland Bed and Breakfast Association web site. Visitors to the site can also purchase gift certificates that can be used at any of the association's member B&Bs.

A listing of tea rooms and attractions/museums with tea events is on the Tourism Office's web site.

Previous monthly themes
In December, the Tourism Office spotlighted Maryland's designated Main Streets – 23 revitalized downtown communities across the state. Previous monthly themes have included: art of the Chesapeake; hiking and biking; educa-tours; buying local; and Maryland wine.

To receive free Maryland travel information - Destination Maryland, Maryland Calendar of Events and a state highway map - by mail, call 800-719-5900. Information can also be found on the Tourism web site.

About Maryland tourism
The Maryland Office of Tourism is an agency of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts within the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. Recently reported visitor data shows that the state welcomed more than 28 million visitors in 2008 who spent nearly $14.5 billion on travel-related expenses – a 3.2 percent increase in spending over 2007. During 2008, the Maryland tourism industry also generated close to $1.8 billion in state and local taxes and provided 146,000 jobs to Maryland residents.

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