7-Eleven stores across the country will offer on their Big Gulp fountain beverage machines U.S. Department of Agriculture certified organic iced tea, developed by Barry W. Cooper and the Cooper Tea Co., Louisville, Colo. Close to 70 percent of 7-Eleven.'s U.S. stores are carrying the product.

 

Cooper created B. W. Cooper's Iced Brew Tea in 2003 as an all-natural tea concentrate, made from real tea, with no artificial colors or added flavors. 7-Eleven offered it as an option on the fountain machine since that time. Earlier this year, the tea blend was converted to organic tea and received USDA organic certification. 7-Eleven made the switch on its fountains and now serves the new organic tea in its stores that offer B.W. Cooper's unsweetened tea. This month, stores will replace the old fountain decals with new ones carrying the USDA organic seal.

 

"Our mission is to craft the best iced teas possible and make them available to tea lovers everywhere," Cooper said, in a statement. "We are the first company to provide the industry with an organic tea that can be conveniently served on fountain machines."