Just Ice Tea announces major capital investment as it unveils new Watermelon Lime White Tea and Peach White Tea flavors

Robert Trone of Total Wine & More will join the Just Ice Tea board as the nation’s fastest-growing tea brand launches in Kroger, Publix and Albertsons, kicking off a new phase of rapid retail expansion 

 

Bethesda, MD (February 18, 2026) –  Just Ice Tea, a leader in delicious, ready-to-drink organic, Fair Trade teas, announced today that it has raised $9 million in Series B Financing, further accelerating its national retail growth and product innovation, including new flavors Watermelon Lime White Tea and Peach White Tea. Investors in the round include Robert Trone, co-founder of Total Wine & More; Taste Tomorrow Ventures; as well as senior leadership from Big Geyser of NYC, Polar Strategic Ventures, and several other key distributors.

The funding milestone comes as Just Ice Tea prepares to expand from 12,000 to 17,000 retail stores nationally in 2026 – a 40 percent year-over-year increase that will put Just Ice Tea’s bottled and canned  teas on the shelves at top national and regional retailers including Kroger, Publix, and Albertsons stores. To support this retail expansion, the company has signed on more than 100 prominent regional distributors, including Reyes (South Carolina, Florida, Indiana), Hand Family Companies (Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee), and Odom (Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii).

The brand previously doubled its store presence in 2025 with a rollout into Target, CVS, Wegmans, and Harris Teeter. In 2025, Inc. Magazine named Just Ice Tea the nation’s fifth fastest-growing food and beverage brand and one of its Inc. 500 fastest-growing private companies overall, as the popular line of teas also continues to build remarkable brand awareness with fans, including Gigi Hadid, and Blackpink and “White Lotus” breakout star Lisa.

 “We are grateful for this strong support as we dramatically expand our retail footprint,” said Just Ice Tea co-founder Seth Goldman. “It’s wonderful to build a foundation with accomplished entrepreneurs in the beverage retail sector whose support will further propel Just Ice Tea’s next phase of hypergrowth.” 

Trone added: “Seth and his team have already built a great brand that is gaining significant traction with customers and consumers alike. I look forward to joining the board and supporting Just Ice Tea as it realizes its vision and mission.”

Just Ice Tea is also set to unveil its newest flavors: 

• Watermelon Lime White Tea, a delicate white tea blend made with organic watermelon, cucumber and lime for a refreshing cooler perfect for the warm days ahead, available beginning this month
  
• Peach White Tea, with real-brewed organic white tea and smooth oolong blended with juicy peach, all Just Sweet Enough® with organic cane sugar at just 50 calories per can. Expect a summertime launch. 

Attendees of the Natural Foods Expo West March 4-6 in Anaheim, Calif., are invited to visit Just Ice Tea’s booth, N847, to sample the tasty new Watermelon Lime White Tea. “This new flavor was inspired by the quality of the organic watermelon puree we have sourced from California,” says Chief Brew Master Spike Mendelsohn. “Blended with our delicate white tea and a touch of lime, it brings the juicy summer vibes we’re all looking for.”

Operated by Honest Tea co-founder Seth Goldman, a global pioneer in mission-driven foods who’s also the Chair of Beyond Meat and Tony’s Chocolonely’s Mission Guardians, and Spike Mendelsohn, a renowned restaurateur, TV personality and board member of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Just Ice Tea embodies today’s principles of simple, clean products that do good for the world. It sources its Organic and Fair Trade Certified ingredients from all over the world, and every one of Just Ice Tea’s more than 17 flavors are formulated with “Just Sweet Enough” sweeteners or no sweetener at all.  

About Just Ice Tea 

Just Ice Tea is a line of ready-to-drink organic, Fair Trade teas advancing a healthier way of life for our farmers, the planet, and you. Founded in 2022 by Honest Tea co-founders Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff and renowned restaurateur and TV personality Spike Mendelsohn, Just Ice Tea has been recognized by Inc. magazine in 2025 as the fifth fastest-growing food and beverage brand in the US. Just Ice Tea features a range of Just Sweet Enough® and unsweetened teas in a range of styles and flavors, made with clean, easily recognizable ingredients and nothing artificial. It’s perfectly brewed, chef-crafted tea that’s bursting with flavor and goodness. 

**Press release courtesy of Moki Media