Keeping It Real With Honest Tea

by Liz Bello-Mathews

“I knew I was going to have a great summer as soon as I walked in the door,” says Kate Grossman, about her marketing fellowship with Honest Tea in Bethesda , Maryland .
“I wondered how eco this company really was. But judging by the office’s open floor plan for light, recycled glass countertops, and showers in the bathroom, my first glance around assured me that these were my kind of people.”

Grossman, whose main topic of interest while at business school is sustainability and the “green” movement, says she was instantly drawn to an internship with Honest Tea.

“I had a couple of options, but none besides Honest Tea involved sustainability in a company,” she says. “That role is difficult to find in an internship.”

Grossman’s MBA skills were essential in her contributions to Honest Tea, a triple bottom line company that considers its effect on the people in the value chain and the planet, equally as important as making profits.

“Two of the projects I worked on were market analyses essentially, so my marketing and strategy courses were very useful,” she says, accrediting her Accounting courses and Corporate Finance for making it easier to understand and participate in discussions.

“My Excel skills were also valued,” she says. “The MBA simply gives you a greater understanding of the operating environment and allow you to be more effective.”

As to her thoughts for a future MBA interested in working with a company like Honest Tea, Grossman has this to say:
“Be prepared for the small company/startup environment because you will be involved in many areas of the organization and expected to do as much as is needed. It is more hectic and less structured than in a corporation environment, so make sure this is what you are looking for.”

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