Award-Winning Frozen Cocktail & Slush Mix Makes it Easy for Bars and Restaurants to Create and Serve Innovative Premium Frozen Craft Cocktails

Brooklyn, NY (June 7, 2017) – Kelvin® Slush Co. (Kelvin), the first and only certified organic cocktail mix specifically formulated for making premium frozen cocktails, recently launched its newest flavor, Frosé (aka frozen rosé). Made with organic peach and strawberry juices, the new base slush flavor is the sixth in a series that includes citrus, piña colada, margarita, ginger and tea, and has quickly become the company’s best-seller.

Kelvin started as a food truck on the streets of Brooklyn in 2010 selling organic non-alcoholic slushies to thirsty New Yorkers. Taking a cue from their loyal customers – who always brought flasks to the truck to spike their slushes – Kelvin began collaborating with bars and restaurants to create and serve custom, premium frozen cocktails.

Now solely focused on the wholesale channel across the USA and Canada, Kelvin has revolutionized the frozen cocktail category by going beyond traditional “fruit” flavors (often made with artificial ingredients and high-fructose corn syrup), which limit restaurants and bars to frozen fruit cocktails. Kelvin’s award-winning versatile base flavors feature high quality all-natural ingredients, which allow operators to create and customize almost any cocktail – including classic cocktails – in frozen form.

It took the company one year to perfect its Frosé recipe. Making a well-crafted frozen drink requires the perfect balance of sugar, alcohol and flavor profiles to freeze correctly and taste just right when frozen. The Standard Spa Miami was the first to put Kelvin’s Frosé recipe on its menu, where it immediately became their best-selling drink and caught the attention of neighboring restaurants and bars. The Kelvin Frosé is now served at leading restaurants and bars across the country, including: Eataly (New York), Soho House (Chicago), Malibu Farm (Malibu), The Edition Hotel (Miami Beach) and Stay Gold (Austin).

“Our new Frosé organic cocktail mix has been a game-changer,” said Zack Silverman, Co-founder, Kelvin Slush Co. “Through May, our year over year sales are up more than 90 percent. We anticipate this will be our best year-to-date.”

Kelvin’s premium cocktail mix can be used in any uncarbonated frozen drink, slush or granita machine by combining the following ingredients in a slush machine: 1 bottle Kelvin Organic Frosé Mix, 4 bottles Rosé Wine, 0.5 Liters of Vodka (or other white spirit), and 1.5 gallons of water. The premium mix can also be used in a blender at home.

Kelvin is available for bars and restaurants in the Continental U.S. via food and liquor distributors, including: US Foods, Sysco, Baldor Foods, Shamrock Foods, Spec’s, Vin Sauvage, Julius Silvert, Rader Foods, and Tampa Beverage Solutions. Kelvin is also available on Amazon by the 64oz. bottle for consumers at home for $34.95 (makes approximately 37 cocktails).

All Kelvin products are USDA Organic, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, kosher and proudly made in the USA. Kelvin does not use any artificial flavors, ingredients, colors or preservatives.

For more information, please visit www.kelvinslush.com and follow the brand on facebook, twitter and Instagram @kelvinslush

About Kelvin Slush Co.

Kelvin Slush Co. is the first and only certified organic cocktail mix specifically formulated for making premium frozen cocktails featuring unique and sophisticated flavors and high quality all-natural ingredients. Led by co-founders Alex Rein and Zack Silverman, the company started as a food truck on the streets of Brooklyn selling organic non-alcoholic slushies to thirsty New Yorkers. Today, Kelvin collaborates with bars & restaurants across the USA and Canada to create custom, premium frozen cocktails.  All Kelvin products are USDA Organic, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, kosher and proudly made in the USA.

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Argo Tea Will Donate 10 percent of Profits to Stupid Cancer® Charity During Promo Period

Chicago – (June 5, 2017) – Argo Tea®, the nation’s leading brand of premium tea and retail cafes, today announced its first national promotional collaboration with Walgreens to celebrate National Iced Tea Month.  The multi-pronged effort is comprised of an in-store Walgreens-exclusive consumer sweepstakes, a ChariTEA® donation to Stupid Cancer® – the country’s largest young adult cancer nonprofit – and a digital media campaign to promote the National Iced Tea Month campaign.

From June 4 – June 24, three flavors of Argo Tea – Carolina Honey®, Green Tea Ginger Twist® and Hibiscus Tea Sangria® – will be featured on display at Walgreens nationwide in honor of National Iced Tea Month.  During the period, Argo Tea will donate 10 percent of profits of their bottled teas sold at Walgreens to Stupid Cancer.

“For years, Argo Tea has donated to nonprofits through our ChariTEA program at Argo Tea cafés across the country. With National Iced Tea Month as the backdrop, we are proud to be taking the concept to Walgreens to help support a charity that’s important to them,” said Mike Ginal, Vice President of Marketing at Argo Tea. “We are incredibly impressed with the work that Stupid Cancer is doing to make a difference in the lives of those affected by young adult cancer and couldn’t be prouder to help support the movement.”

“Stupid Cancer is dedicated to making the lives of those impacted by young adult cancer better with international conferences, online and offline support and the platform to be vocal about their disease,” CEO and Founder Matthew Zachary said. “Argo Tea and Walgreens understand the unique needs young adults, their family and friends have when cancer disrupts the norm. We are excited to reach new audiences through this collaboration.”

Additionally, Argo Tea is offering a Walgreens-exclusive sweepstakes for the chance to win an Argo Tea-branded cooler.  Consumers who purchase three bottles of Argo Tea at Walgreens – from June 1 – July 15 – can text “ARGO” to 35227 and upload their receipt for a chance to win one of a thousand coolers being given away.  The sweepstakes will be supported with in-store point-of-sale.  For complete rules and alternate entry, visit https://www.argotea.com.

The National Iced Tea month collaboration will be enhanced with a digital marketing campaign comprised of email marketing, social media and paid digital media to drive awareness of Stupid Cancer, the ChariTEA program with Walgreens and the national consumer sweepstakes.

For more information about Argo Tea, please visit www.argotea.com and follow the brand on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/argotea as well as Twitter and Instagram @argotea

About Argo Tea

Since brewing its first cup of tea in 2003, Argo Tea has quickly become a household name and leading multi-channel, branded beverage company. Its ready-to-drink teas in Argo Tea’s iconic bottles are now available in over 50,000 outlets nationwide through partnerships with premier retailers that value its brand-defining commitment to quality, sustainability and healthy living. With nearly 50 Argo Tea cafés globally, it has established a brand building marketing platform that serves over 10 million cups of tea annually fueling its innovation. Argo Tea’s menu includes all natural-tea based signature drinks, over 30 varieties of loose-leaf teas, premium coffee, fresh-baked pastries, specialty foods, and a selection of tea ware and accessories.

About Stupid Cancer
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Stupid Cancer, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the largest charity that makes cancer suck less for those touched by young adult cancer. Founded in 2007 by Matthew Zachary, the innovative, award-winning and evidence-based programs and services serve as a global bullhorn to propel the young adult cancer movement forward. Stupid Cancer comprehensively addresses young adult cancer through advocacy, research, support, outreach, awareness, mobile health and social media. For more information, visit stupidcancer.org

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Naturally Electrolyte-Rich Bottled Water Sourced From More Than 3,000 Feet Below the Surface Delivers Great Taste, Purity & Performance 

Chicago (June 5, 2017) – Kona Deep^TM, the naturally electrolyte-rich bottled water, sourced off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, will introduce its namesake brand throughout Chicagoland later this month, including all 41 Mariano’s locations.

The introduction signals the creation of a new category: deep ocean drinking water. Until now, consumers had to choose between spring water and highly processed, functional purified waters with artificially added electrolytes. With Kona Deep, bottled water drinkers no longer have to choose between purity and performance. The new brand offers both – the purity of a trusted, natural source with nothing artificial, nothing added and the hydration benefits of electrolytes.

Kona Deep comes from melted glacial water, which sunk to the ocean floor more than 1,000 years ago, creating a deep ocean current that still flows today. This infinitely renewable source absorbs naturally occurring electrolytes and minerals along its journey across the ocean floor and along volcanic fissures, which are crucial for hydration and body balance.

While deep ocean water is difficult to access, the coast of Kona, Hawaii, provides an ideal location to source and bottle the water because the ocean floor falls sharply to more than 3,000 feet below the surface. At this depth, near-freezing cold and prolonged darkness create a pure water that is protected from light and surface ocean water. Once brought to the surface, the water is desalinated and bottled at the source with a total dissolved solids (TDS) content of 250, the perfect balance of performance and taste. During the process, nothing is added.

Kona Deep Chief Executive Officer Patrick Turpin, co-founder of Popchips^TM – the innovative and wildly popular better for you snack – looks forward to sharing the unique benefits of deep ocean water.

“Kona Deep is a great option for those who want their water to work harder, naturally,” said Turpin. “We’re giving people who want more from their bottled water a reason to rethink their choice.”

Since launching in Hawaii, Turpin has grown the brand across the continental U.S., where premium bottle water sales have skyrocketed more than 300% over the past five years.[1] Kona Deep has since gained national distribution via Sprouts Markets and, until now, has focused efforts in several West Coast markets, including Southern California and Seattle.

“Deep ocean water is a billion dollar category in Asia, but this is still very much a new category of bottled water in the U.S.,” Turpin added.

In addition to Mariano’s, Kona Deep is available in Chicagoland at Fresh Thyme, Standard Market, Sunset Foods, Woodman’s Markets and select Freshii locations in 500mL and 1L bottles. Consumers can also purchase Kona Deep in store or online at www.amazon.com.

For more information, and a full list of retail locations, please visit www.konadeep.com, and follow the brand on Twitter (@KonaDeep), Instagram (@KonaDeepWater) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/konadeepseawater)

About Kona Deep^TM

Kona Deep is a deeply refreshing and restoring water with a unique balance of naturally occurring deep ocean electrolytes essential to life and health. Kona Deep comes from the ocean waters of Hawaii, over 3,000 feet below the surface where cold, pressure and darkness combine to create an exceptionally high quality water. We utilize a unique method to bring the water to the surface to offer you an extraordinary taste and hydration experience. In the process, we add nothing.

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[1] Beverage Digest 2015 Fact Book

Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s Spirit of Adventure, the Makers of Papa’s Pilar® Offer Rum Enthusiasts a New Adventure Destination

Key West, Florida (May 17, 2017) – Hemingway Rum Company, the makers of Papa’s Pilar® premium sipping rums, which were inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s spirit of adventure, will officially open its Rum Distillery & Experience Center to the public on Saturday, May 20, 2017. The new facility pays homage to the legendary adventurer who once proudly called Key West home.

Nestled in the heart of Key West at 201 Simonton St. (the corner of Greene St. & Simonton St.), the new Rum Distillery & Experience Center once served as an all brick tobacco warehouse built in 1878 by Irish bricklayers. Having completed a three-year renovation, the over 8,000 sq. ft. facility will support Papa’s Pilar rum production, an Experience Center, a Tasting Room, Trading Post, and eventually a rentable event center. Visitors can view a 350-gallon Hamilton Pot Still, with a custom-made reflux column, that can produce up to 80 gallons of rum per day. Guests will also be treated to an interactive “scent display,” which allows them to smell the active ingredients in each expression. Unique attractions throughout the tour pay tribute to “Papa” as Hemingway was known, including a swivel picture wall and replica of his Pilar boat affixed in the ceiling’s center rafters. Following the tour, patrons will be provided a sampling experience of Papa’s Pilar dark and blonde rums in the facility’s Tasting Room, which includes a Hemingway inspired bar top, filled with newspaper clippings, photographs and other memorabilia.

Carlton “Carl” Grooms, Key West Director of Operations, will manage the production of the award-winning rums, with the help of four full-time managers and 40 part-time employees, whom are all local Key West residents. An adventure-seeker and rum enthusiast himself, Grooms co-founded the International Rum Council and served as co-author of the book, “Rum & Contemporary Cuisine.” Carl serves on the Board of the Navy League, Key West Council, and the Key West Art and Historical Society.

“We’re excited to have created both a destination that will serve as the physical heart and soul of our brand, as well as an asset for the city of Key West,” said Grooms. “Our guests will be truly engaged and amazed with this unique experience. A trip to Key West will no longer be complete without a visit.”

Tours are available daily from 9am-6pm. Tours are self-guided and do not require reservations as guests are encouraged to explore like Hemingway himself.

In addition to the tour attractions, guests can visit the Trading Post to purchase adventure gear, bar accessories and one-of-a-kind Hemingway Rum Company apparel only available in Key West. A designated “locals corner” will allow various Key West merchants to showcase and sell their work.

“Of all his worldly travels, Ernest Hemingway chose Key West to call home,” said Lindsey Kops Mundy, Papa’s Pilar National Brand Director. “And it’s here that we chose to celebrate him and Papa’s Pilar, the rum inspired by his spirit of adventure.”

Papa’s Pilar Dark & Blonde rum varieties are hand-selected from ports-of-call in the Caribbean, Central America and Florida for their age, character and maturity, and then blended and solera aged in our proprietary process which includes Bourbon barrels and Spanish Sherry casks for the Blonde expression, and Bourbon, Port Wine and Spanish Sherry casks for the Dark Rum.

In addition to the new Rum Distillery & Experience Center, Papa’s Pilar rums are available in 750ml bottles in both on- and off-premise establishments in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Washington, DC. The brand is also registered in Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah and Virginia. The suggested retail price of the Dark and Blonde are $39.99 and $29.99, respectively. Prices may vary by market.

For more information, please visit www.papaspilar.com,“like” us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PapasPilarRum, and follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/papaspilar/and Twitter https://twitter.com/papaspilar #PapasKeyWest #PapasPilar #PapasKeyWest

About Hemingway Rum Company, LLC

Hemingway Rum Company, LLC is a distilled spirits company based in Florida that’s dedicated to producing super-premium multi-sourced solera blended Caribbean, Central American and Floridian rums. The Company’s inaugural offerings are Papa’s Pilar® Dark and Blonde Rum, incepted and crafted by a seasoned team of best-in-class partners. The Company encourages consumers of legal drinking age to “Live Courageously and Drink Responsibly” and proudly supports local organizations that serve Ernest Hemingway’s adventurous, literary and conservational legacy.

Papa’s Pilar® is a proud member of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).

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Chicago, Ill. – (April 24, 2017) – Chicago-based Argo Tea®, the largest tea café concept in the U.S., will go cashless in four of the company’s locations beginning today. In an attempt to make it easier than ever to order, pay and earn rewards, and to increase its speed of service. the premium tea brand will eliminate cash transactions from select cafes – three in Chicago and one in New York.

Argo Tea’s cashless cafés will allow baristas to take orders faster, so customers can avoid lines and receive their favorite custom-made drinks and food in less time. Cashless cafés will accept credit/debit cards and the Argo Tea app, which allows customers to pay with their phone to earn rewards. Customers will receive $5 off their first order when they download the app. For customers who value cash, Argo Tea is working to develop an in-store gift card kiosk that accepts cash.

Chicago Cashless Café locations:

• Loop (Franklin & Madison): 1 S. Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60606
• University of Illinois at Chicago: 750 S. Halsted Suite 151, Chicago, IL 60607
• Merchandise Mart: 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654

New York Cashless Café location:

• Union Square: 75 University Pl, New York, NY 10003

Looking ahead, the brand is also exploring the possibilities of using the cashless concept for the three locations at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport cafés.

About Argo Tea

Since brewing its first cup of tea in 2003, Argo Tea has quickly become a household name and leading multi-channel, branded beverage company. Its ready-to-drink teas in Argo Tea’s iconic bottles are now available in over 45,000 outlets nationwide through partnerships with premier retailers that value its brand-defining commitment to quality, sustainability and healthy living. With nearly 50 Argo Tea cafés globally, it has established a brand building marketing platform that serves over 10 million cups of tea annually, fueling its innovation. Argo Tea’s menu includes all natural, tea based signature drinks, over 50 varieties of loose-leaf teas, premium coffee, fresh-baked pastries, specialty foods, and a selection of teaware and accessories.

For more information, please visit www.argotea.com and follow the brand on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/argotea as well as Twitter and Instagram @argotea

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