Honest Tea, really honest?

Today our beloved Bethesda, MD based beverage firm, Honest Tea, announced that it sold the Coke Corporation a 40% stake in its business with an option to by within the next 3 years. Many question the motives of the holistic company’s CEO Seth Goldman.

Is he selling out to the big corporation for the money or are his intentions just as wholesome as the tea he’s served for the past 10 years? Goldman argues that with the Coke Corporation backing him he will need 10 times as many organic ingredients thus creating a demand for “a more sustainable system of agriculture, one that doesn’t rely on chemical pesticides and fertilizers”. Goldman continues to insist that as opposed to him “selling out” they are “buying in”.

What we want to know from you is whether or not socially conscious independents can do more good with the backing of large corporations or are they better off remaining independent? For the Washington Post article on the purchase click here.