Mighty Leaf Tea(C) Hires Industry Veteran John Bortells as New Senior Vice President of Sales

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Mighty Leaf Tea, the pioneer of artisan whole-leaf tea blends in its signature Tea Pouch™ has hired seasoned beverage industry veteran, John P. Bortells, as senior vice president of sales.  In his new role, Bortells will be responsible for managing Mighty Leaf's sales team, as well as its broker and distributor networks, while also growing existing foodservice and retail relationships.  

Bortells brings to Mighty Leaf Tea more than 20 years of executive experience at PepsiCo, Inc., where he most recently served as vice president of sales for the Pepsi-Lipton Partnership.  While at PepsiCo, Bortells established Lipton as a category leader through numerous sales innovations and refined product distribution processes, leading to double-digit volume growth.

"Mighty Leaf Tea has received such tremendous feedback from our foodservice and retail customers since we changed the paradigm of the Premium Tea category 14 years ago through our quality and innovation," said Gary Shinner, Mighty Leaf Tea chief executive officer and co-founder. "John's extensive beverage industry experience, combined with his competitive spirit and proven business strategies, make him the perfect fit to help take our company to even more robust levels."

About Mighty Leaf Tea

Mighty Leaf Tea blends a broad range of artisan-crafted, whole-leaf specialty tea from the finest ingredients found around the world.  In 1996, Gary Shinner and Jill Portman founded their premiere San Francisco teahouse where they created the original hand-stitched, mesh Tea Pouch.  The biodegradable Tea Pouch delivers the convenience of an unparalleled quality tea experience with precision-portioned servings of artisan-crafted whole leaf tea blends filled with chunks of fruit, spices, and flavors too big for ordinary tea bags.  

Operating today out of its San Rafael, Calif., headquarters, the company's superior customer service and product line makes it a popular one-stop solution offering a tea program for specialty retailers, high-end restaurants, and premier hotels and resorts.  Mighty Leaf Tea is distributed in 40 countries around the globe and can be found nationwide at leading retailers, including Kroger, Safeway, Publix, Stop & Shop and Whole Foods.  

Follow Mighty Leaf Tea on Facebook, Twitter and at www.mightyleaf.com.

SOURCE Mighty Leaf Tea