When consumers buy products each day, they’re not just purchasing an item: They’re voting for the kind of companies and products they support.

This is how Seth Goldman, founder and “Tea-EO” of HonestTea, described his view of markets to a packed room of University of Delaware students, faculty and staff last week.

“Every day, consumers have a chance to make a choice about what they consume,” Goldman said. “The direction is clear, the opportunity is clear, and it's never been a more exciting time to be building something.”

As the company’s name suggests, HonestTea operates on principles of ethics and morality as well as quality, which Goldman calls “mission-driven business.”

For HonestTea, this mission includes environmental and social responsibility, as well as promoting health-conscious products. Goldman pointed out that healthy alternatives are especially necessary given that the United States is currently ranked 37th in terms of life expectancy.

“My first reaction is: ‘That’s shameful, how could we let that happen?’ My other reaction is: ‘Wow, that’s an incredible business opportunity,’” Goldman said. “You have the world's wealthiest nation literally not living up to its potential.”

HonestTea seeks to help tap that potential with organic, low-sugar drink options and fair trade tea and sugar sources. 

“Our impact starts by what we put on the shelf,” said Goldman, who is also working with a company called Beyond Meat. This company created the Beyond Burger, the first plant-based burger to be carried in the meat section of Whole Foods.

While Goldman calls HonestTea “the undoing of food, meaning the simplification of food,” Beyond Meat utilizes science to improve food and take it to the next level. 

And both approaches have certainly paid off. In 2008, Coca-Cola bought 40 percent of HonestTea, and in 2011, they bought the rest. HonestTea distribution has now grown to over 125,000 stores.

But Goldman also described the company’s more humble beginnings: The first bottle of HonestTea was an empty Snapple bottle with a label pasted on, he said. 

He then worked to grow the company with the help of one of his professors at Yale University, Barry Nalebuff. Goldman made sure to point out the critical importance of his relationship with his professor to the students in the audience.

“Make sure you’re listening in class, make sure you’re listening to your professor, because you never know what’s going to happen.”

About the Tyler Lecture

The Chaplin Tyler Executive Leadership Lecture Series in UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics brings leaders from business, nonprofit organizations, and the public sector to campus to share their experiences and insights with students, faculty and the business community in an exchange of ideas and perspectives.

The series, which is supported by the Chaplin Tyler Endowment Fund, is dedicated to the memory of Chap and Elizabeth Tyler, and their commitment to education and determination to help young people achieve success in the business world.

Lerner College Dean Bruce Weber spoke briefly to the audience about Tyler before Goldman’s lecture began. 

Weber described Tyler’s long and fruitful career with DuPont after returning from World War I, and his eventual 40-year retirement as an active contributor to UD as a consultant, board member, published author and philanthropic financial donor. 

“We’re able to do this on a regular basis because of a very giving and generous person,” Weber said. “I’m so pleased we have this lecture series, and that we’re here to recognize and honor Chap Tyler and his time with the University of Delaware.”