Rishi Tea's brews Chai Concentrate in support of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Program

Online, February 11, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Rishi Tea unveils a rich and flavorful new Masala Chai Concentrate in support of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Program. The new Masala Chai Concentrate is an organic and Fair Trade Certified™ microbrewed blend of energizing spices and rich vanilla infused with a full-bodied single origin forest grown black tea. Proceeds from each sale of the concentrate benefit Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Program.

Jane Goodall has worked for almost fifty years to protect animals, habitats and communities around the globe. The Roots & Shoots Program that she founded in 1991 is a youth-driven, global network of more than 8,000 groups in almost 100 countries. Together, youth from around the globe take action to improve our world through service learning projects that promote care and concern for animals, the environment and the human community.

Rishi's Founder and President, Joshua Kaiser, shares the importance of the new product and partnership with Jane Goodall: "Our Masala Chai goes above and beyond its organic and Fair Trade certifications. Promoting biodiversity, preserving soil and species and preventing erosion is critical to sustaining the environment but few large-scale tea farms work to this aim. Rishi's direct trade of sustainable forest tea is a market driven solution for environmental conservation and pairs well with what the Roots & Shoots Program is all about."

Unlike other companies that use soluble tea and flavor extracts, Rishi Tea uses ethically sourced, wild-grown black tea leaves from an ancient tea tree forest and traditional Indian spices. _e spices are slow brewed in small batches for more than 20 hours and carefully infused with tea leaves. Slow brewing results in a more authentic and complex array of richer and fuller flavors.

The hand-harvested black tea brewed in the chai concentrate is a non-timber forestry product. Its harvest is a sustainable, Fair Trade economic activity for more than 220 families living in Yunnan, China's Mannong and Manmai villages. Ancient wild-grown forest tea comes from a sustainable, biologically diverse ecosystem. Less than 2% of the world's tea is harvested in such a low impact and truly organic manner.

Rishi Tea's organic, Fair Trade and Kosher Certified Masala Chai Concentrate is also fat free, gluten free and vegan. Available at Whole Foods (MSRP $5.99) and select coffeehouses.

About Rishi Tea
Founded in 1997, Rishi Tea is the leading importer of Organic and Fair Trade Certified loose leaf teas. Rishi Tea sources its tea direct from origin and offers, fresh each season, more than 200 loose leaf teas, botanicals and iced teas which are available online and at select coffeehouses, as well as natural food, health food and grocery stores. The company was awarded 11 First Place Awards at the 2009 World Tea Championship.

About the Jane Goodall Institute
Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall's pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior -research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It is also widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth program, which has groups in almost 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org and www.rootsandshoots.org.

For more information, contact [email protected].