FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Rona Tison                                                                 Nicole Moore

ITO EN (North America) INC.                                     CKPR

(707) 327-6413                                                           (212) 251-1209

rtison@itoen.com                                                       nmoore@ckpr.biz

ITO EN INTRODUCES FIRST BLACK TEA IN THE TEAS’ TEA LINE

Renowned green tea line expands its repertoire to include Pure Black Darjeeling Tea

NEW YORK (May 27, 2008) - ITO EN (North America) INC., the world’s leader in green

teas, introduces the first black tea to their award-winning line of TEAS’ TEA, a line of all-natural, unsweetened bottled teas made with nothing but high quality tea leaves and purified water. TEAS’ TEA provides a refreshing alternative to carbonated and sweetened beverages.

The Darjeeling tea leaf is grown in the Darjeeling region of West Bengal, India, where it gets its name, which means “Land of the Thunderbolt.” This location, at the foot of the Himalayas, near the mountain kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, makes the tea both rare and unique in flavor.

“We’re seeing a renewed popularity in tea drinking in the U.S. and, with it, an increased demand for black teas,” said Rona Tison, senior vice president of corporate relations for ITO EN. “The flavor profile of Americans is changing and their palates are evolving to recognize subtle difference in the quality of what they are drinking. Consumers are recognizing that ready-to-drink tea is much like a fine bottle of wine in terms of complexity. As ITO EN believes in producing only the highest quality products, Darjeeling, the ‘Champagne of Teas,’ was the natural extension of our TEAS’ TEA line.”

TEAS’ TEA retails for $1.99 and can be found at mass merchandise stores, grocery stores and specialty natural food retailers nationwide; including Whole Foods, Super Target, Bashas’ Supermarket and Wegman’s. TEAS’ TEA can also be ordered at www.itoen.com. For more information, please visit the website.

About ITO EN (North America) INC.

Established in 1966, Japan-based ITO EN, LTD. was founded to market green tea, a traditional Japanese beverage.  The company launched in the United States in 2002 with the opening of their flagship store on Madison Avenue. Today, ITO EN 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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