The kids of Arche-Frankfurt take off with their own iced tea brand.
The teens at Arche Frankfurt are taking off in the iced tea business: With the help of PepsiCo, tropextrakt and MILK, the young people from the institution in the Main metropolis are bringing “Good Tea” to the shelves of regional retailers. The name of the iced tea drink says it all: the proceeds from the sale of around 10,000 bottles will go to the Ark – and the “Good Tea” scores points with its special recipe. It has therefore never been so easy for iced tea fans to enjoy and do good at the same time.
- From recipe to distribution: 15 young people bring newly developed beverage to regional retailers
- 100 percent support: proceeds from the sale of around 10,000 bottles go entirely to Arche Frankfurt
- Strong partners on board: PepsiCo, tropextrakt and MILK actively support the project
What music stars like Haftbefehl, Capital Bra and Shirin David can do, the young people of the Arche Frankfurt can do too. With their own iced tea and the help of PepsiCo, tropextrakt and MILK, they are now shaking up the regional beverage market. “Good Tea” is the name of the peach-passion fruit-flavored drink, of which almost 10,000 bottles are now available in retail outlets in Frankfurt. 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Arche Frankfurt.
But it is not only in financial terms that the regionally produced “Good Tea” supports a good cause, but also when it comes to health. With just 25 kcal and 5.9 grams of sugar per 100 ml, the Arche-Teens recipe is significantly more digestible than many other iced tea variants on the market. These have 20 to 40 percent more sugar. In addition, “Good Tea” does not contain any additives such as citric acid or the acidity regulator trisodium citrate.
Strong partners for the iced tea of the Ark teens
The initiative for the project came from tropextrakt during the Corona pandemic. The Frankfurt-based company is also responsible for the development and production of the iced tea. tropextrakt’s core business is the import of exotic fruits mainly for the beverage industry. In addition, the specialists from the Main metropolis also develop their own beverages according to customer wishes – as in the case of the “Good Tea” of the Ark Teens.
Thanks to the long-standing partnership between the Ark and PepsiCo, the idea was quickly born to get a real industry heavyweight on board to take the project to another level. PepsiCo not only handled sales and provided marketing support, but also brought other key service providers on board, such as MILK, an agency specializing in food packaging.
To ensure that the kids at the Ark are involved in every step of their iced tea’s development, PepsiCo worked with the other partners to conceptualize a series of workshops. The young people were thus able to experience every step of a product development and launch first-hand, as well as receive advice from the experts on their decisions regarding taste, packaging, and marketing. Upon successful completion of the project, the young people receive a corresponding certificate attesting to the knowledge they have acquired in the field of entrepreneurship as well as their special commitment within the project, which is intended to support them on their further career path.
“Many of our team immediately agreed to contribute their free time and knowledge to this wonderful project. The Ark Kids have not only developed a drink whose sale serves a good purpose. The young people are also living true entrepreneurial spirit – and this experience is priceless in my eyes.”, says Torben Nielsen, Managing Director PepsiCo DACH.
“Large companies have released their employees, so many people have committed themselves with heart and interest to the young people and have worked together to achieve this great result. Incidentally, this could also be a new approach to how companies can use their core competencies to support important social causes”, says Ingo Kniepert, Managing Director at tropextrakt.
“We were able to show the teens the fascinating world of product design – and how many cogs have to mesh to create great projects. That was at least as exciting an experience for the teens as it was for us,” says Andreas Milk, CEO of MILK.
“The motto of the Ark is ‘Making children strong’! And what could promote the self-confidence of young people more than such a successfully implemented project. They experience how their ideas become reality. That inspires! That gives you courage! Therefore, a big thank you for the active support goes to all our partners, especially tropextrakt, PepsiCo and Milk“, adds Daniel Schröder from Arche Frankfurt.
The packaging used for the iced tea is 330ml longneck glass bottles. The bouquet is one of the results from the workshops with the teens. The glass can be recycled and the labels on the bottles are made of 100 percent recycled paper. In this way, “Good Tea” also supports the circular economy in Germany in terms of product design.
Other supporters of the project are Wilkens communications, Stroer and Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof in Frankfurt.
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About Ark
The Christian children’s and youth organization Die ARCHE has been committed to combating child poverty in Germany since 1995. In the ARCHE houses, children receive a free hot lunch and help with homework every day. They also find meaningful leisure activities, support services and, above all, contact persons who listen to them and are there for them. Because every child needs confirmation for their self-confidence, just like the feeling of being important and loved. ARCHE is active at around 30 locations throughout Germany, reaches over 5,000 children and young people and relies on support. The work is financed almost entirely by donations.
The Ark in Frankfurt has been active in Frankfurt am Main , in the districts of Griesheim and Nordweststadt since 2010 and reaches up to 500 children and young people every day.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and regions around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net sales in 2022, driven by a portfolio of beverages and foods including Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of indulgent foods and beverages, including many iconic brands, each with estimated annual retail sales of more than $1 billion.
PepsiCo is guided by the vision to be the global leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic holistic transformation that puts sustainability at the center of our value creation and growth by operating within global boundaries and inspiring positive change for our planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com and www.pepsico.de
About tropextrakt
tropextrakt has specialized in the import and distribution of exotic fruits and niche products since its foundation in 2002. Customers come mainly from the beverage, confectionery, and dairy processing industries, as well as from the food supplement manufacturing sector. The range of fruit juices, concentrates, purees and powders, as well as fruit and plant extracts, is currently marketed in 29 European countries. In addition, tropextrakt has customers in Asia, Africa, Central America and Australia. With its suppliers, especially from Latin America and Asia, the company pays attention to compliance with European quality standards, fair working conditions and a transparent and traceable supply chain – from harvesting to processing to transport to the customer. tropextrakt offers not only quality raw materials, but also customized development of beverages and creative formulations for various product applications – at the customer’s request or on the basis of tropextrakt’s own ideas laboratory.
About MILK.
Packaging development for food – from the idea to the finished prototype: MILK designs new products for the love of food. It is the attention to detail that combines good design and excellent food. There has never been more choice when it comes to marketing services and foods covering every flavour. It is the product details and the people that make the difference. MILK has been supporting the Ark with donations since 2015 and since then organizes two actions with the Ark kids every year. The aim of the “Mahlzeit” campaign is to make the world of food tangible for children and young people. For example, they have already gone together to an apple farm, to the beekeeper, to the dairy farm and on a plant-based scavenger hunt. For more information, visit: https://www.milk-food.de/mahlzeit/
Press contact:
Gina Herkenberg
FACTOR 3 AG
Calico bleach 35
22041 Hamburg
E-mail: pepsico@faktor3.de
