ITO EN Brews Up Café Sepia — Their First U.S. Coffee Product Coffee Introduction Expands Company’s Beverage Offerings

New York, NY – ITO EN (North America) INC, the world’s premiere producer of green tea, has announced that the company is launching its first coffee product in the U.S. market with the introduction of Café Sepia. In Japan, ITO EN LTD. is the largest tea company, and offers a full line of beverages including coffee, fruit and vegetable-based products. The introduction of Café Sepia marks the company’s plans for expanding its product line in the U.S.

Available in re-sealable 6.4 fl oz. steel cans, a first in the U.S. market, Café Sepia continues ITO EN’s tradition of innovation in product development and packaging. The suggested retail price is $1.79 - $1.99 per can and they can be found pre-heated in ITO EN display units for ready-to-drink convenience on the go, or they may be purchased cold and then poured into a cup to be heated in a microwave.

Café Sepia coffees will be available in two flavors, both of which are produced in Japan. Café Sepia House Blend is a smooth, aromatic city roast, freshly brewed from select Brazilian and Indonesian coffee beans with the velvety touch of milk. Café Sepia Mocha is a flavorful and robust French-style roast, freshly brewed from select Brazilian and Tanzanian coffee beans. Chocolate lovers will appreciate the spike of chocolate and a creamy shot of milk. The coffees offer all the flavor of specialty coffee shop varieties and their size allows them to easily fit into a tote or pocket, making them ideal for the always on-the-go lifestyle so prevalent with today’s consumer. Additional flavors will be rolled out later this year.

“In Japan, ITO EN is an all-encompassing beverage company and markets a variety of coffee beverages, as well as juices and our tea offerings,” said Rona Tison, vice president, corporate relations for ITO EN (North America) INC. “The Japanese palate is quite discerning and sophisticated when it comes to coffee, with many trendy high-end coffee shops. ITO EN was the first in Japan to find success with a ready-to-drink specialty coffee product, and we feel it will translate well in the United States, where consumers have the same passion and taste for great coffee.”

Since establishing their U.S. operations in 2001, Tokyo-based ITO EN LTD. has introduced the green tea culture to the American market through the TEAS’ TEA line of all natural, unsweetened ready-to-drink teas as well as through their New York City based retail and restaurant divisions. The ITO EN Tea Shop, located on Manhattan’s Madison Avenue, has received the 2005 and 2006 Zagat Gourmet Marketplace award for ‘best tea’ and the company also operates the renowned KAI and Donguri restaurants in New York City. TEAS’ TEA recently received the ‘best flavor’ and ‘best packaging’ awards from the World Tea Expo and has been chosen as the tea of choice in San Francisco’s Hotel Vitale.

In Japan, ITO EN LTD. is renowned as a trendsetter in the tea and beverage industries. The company was the first to produce an unsweetened, 100% naturally brewed canned green tea beverage, pioneering an entirely new market for green tea.

To access more information or order from the entire line of ITO EN products, please visit www.itoen.com.

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ITO EN (North America) INC., a subsidiary of ITO EN, LTD., the world's leading artisan of green tea leaves and green tea beverages, imports and markets TEAS’ TEA, Sencha Shot, Tea Lemon and Tea Apple in the United States. The TEAS’ TEA brand urges consumers to "Drink for your self®," a tag line which appears on each bottle, to taste the distinction of a beverage that is healthy and designed for an active lifestyle. The ITO EN Tea Shop, on New York City’s Madison Avenue, was voted Best Tea Shop by the 2006 and 2005 Zagat Survey of New York City Gourmet Market Places.

Established in 1966, Japan-based ITO EN, LTD. was founded to market green tea, a traditional Japanese beverage. Today, ITO EN, LTD. is firmly positioned as the world's leading supplier of green tea leaves and green tea beverages, developing a steady stream of new products that specifically address customer needs and lifestyles. Known as a trendsetter in Japan's beverage industry, intensive research and development has allowed the company to cultivate better tea, and positioned them as the first company to create a patented method of bottling green tea in a manner that carefully preserves its distinct flavor and integrity. Additional information can be accessed through www.itoen.com.

Press Contact: Patrick Morris 518-272-2400 ext. 12