WILTON, Conn. — Sh’nnong Beverage Company is launching new Má Functional Iced Teas with CBD+ natural botanicals with a national roll-out to over 500 The Vitamin Shoppe stores. Má ready-to-drink teas date back to 2737 BC when Emperor Shennong of China discovered tea and combined it with organic hemp and botanicals to make his original Má brews.  Sh’nnong Beverage Company’s next-generation plant-based beverages contain Green, Oolong or Bai Mudan Teas blended with CBD+ natural botanicals to detox, focus or relax.

Jill Beraud, chief executive officer and cofounder of Sh’nnong Beverages Company, is no stranger to the iced tea beverage category, having previously served as president of Starbucks & Lipton Joint Ventures at PepsiCo, where she oversaw the largest global tea portfolio and the reinvention of Pure Leaf Teas.

“When my business partner Charlie Herbstreith and I originally discussed this idea, it reminded me of my time at PepsiCo when kombucha and coconut water were just emerging.  However, given the far-reaching benefits of CBD, this is a much bigger white space,” stated Beraud. “The Vitamin Shoppe is the perfect launch partner for us.  They are establishing themselves as CBD Central across multiple categories and have tremendous in-store expertise in health, wellness and nutrition.”

Sh’nnong Beverage Company is raising the bar with next generation, plant-based beverages by infusing each Má Iced Tea with CBD+ natural botanicals. CBD+ not only harnesses the functional benefits of zero-THC Hemp CBD but elevates those benefits by combining it with nearly 20 different herbs and spices inspired by the original Má brews of Emperor Shennong.  Shennong used his brews to treat a variety of conditions and later became known as the Father of Chinese Herbal Medicine.

“We founded Sh’nnong Beverage Company on the principle of creating plant-based, better-for-you beverages leveraging not only the benefits of CBD, but also those of natural botanicals, adaptogens, herbs and spices.  This is CBD+,” explains cofounder and chief branding officer Charlie Herbstreith.  “CBD+ is about the combined benefits of tea, Hemp CBD and carefully chosen botanicals for an overall more powerful effect. Our mission is to help everyone live their life in balance and achieve total Má.”

Sharon Leite, chief executive officer of The Vitamin Shoppe, commented: “As a trusted resource for CBD hemp extract products, we are thrilled to be the exclusive launch partner of Má Functional Iced Teas with CBD+, providing our customers with a refreshing and delicious option in this category. We are especially excited to team with visionaries like Jill Beraudand Charlie Herbstreith, who bring years of consumer marketing and beverage industry experience to this pioneering product in the CBD hemp extract space. Their expertise, combined with these innovative beverage formulations, are an exceptionally compelling addition to our 20 CBD hemp extract brands within The Vitamin Shoppe.”

All Má Functional Iced Teas with CBD+ Natural Botanicals ($4.99) are naturally sweetened, contain no sugar and are less than 10 calories.  Available exclusively at The Vitamin Shoppe, Má Iced Teas are said to be carefully curated into three distinct blends including:

• Focus: Oolong Peach Spark will help you feel more focused with CBD + brain-stimulating adaptogens of ginkgo biloba, gotu kola and Rhodiola Rosea.  With 40mg of natural caffeine added, it is just the right spark you need to help promote cognitive brain activity.
• Relax: Lavender Berry Chill features blueberry-infused, caffeine-free Bai Mudan Tea blended with CBD, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, elderflower and passionflower to impart calm and help reduce stress and anxiety.
• Detox: Emperor Spice Cleanse is a caffeine-free, detoxifying brew to help you purify the mind, body and soul with CBD + Green Tea, lemon, chamomile, schisandra berry and dandelion root to help remove toxins from the body.