ITO EN Acquires Mason Distributors And Enters U.S. Supplement Market

New York, NY – Green tea manufacturer ITO EN (North America) INC. today announced that the company has purchased Mason Distributors, Inc. of Miami Lakes, FL. Through this acquisition, Mason becomes the first wholly owned subsidiary of ITO EN’s U.S. operations and effectively moves the company into the ever growing supplement market.

Mason Distributors Inc. is one of the largest vitamin suppliers in the U.S. with a selection of over 500 vitamins, minerals, supplements and herbs. Cash flow for the last fiscal year, as of December 2005, is as follows:

Sales: $17,812,000
Operating Income $2,867,000
Operating Cash Flow $3,122,000

“Mason Distributors has approximately 5,000 customers and sells more than 400 varieties of supplements,” said Yosuke Honjo, president of ITO EN (North America) INC. “With the acquisition of this company, ITO EN is able to enter the supplement market and anticipates an effective synergy with our core green tea business and increasing the value and success of the group as a whole.”

Since setting up their U.S. operations in 2001, ITO EN (North America) INC. has introduced several ready-to-drink beverages, which include the award winning TEAS’ TEA line of unsweetened teas and Tea Apple and Tea Lemon, as well as Sencha Shot and their first U.S. coffee beverage, Café Sepia. The brands are distributed nationally through Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Target and Costco. Ready-to-drink teas are one of the fastest growing beverages, up 22% in all channels. TEAS’ TEA has added 6.8 points to this growth and is currently ranked overall as the number three natural RTD tea and is gaining share with a 108% growth rate. ITO EN (North America) INC’s parent company, ITO EN, LTD. is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For the fiscal year ending April, 2006, the company posted revenue of $2.55 billion.

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 the award winning TEAS’ TEA, Tea Apple and Tea Lemon in the United States, as well as Sencha Shot and Café Sepia. 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.


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