For Your Viewing Pleasure...

When you regularly order products or speak to someone in customer service from a specific company, don't you ever wonder about the person on the other end of the line? Of course you do! To satisfy your curious minds, feel free to browse around our Sencha Naturals photo album on Flickr, found here.
Above is a little peek of the photostream, from a previous company outing we had at the Speed Zone race tracks just outside LA. Vroom vroom...

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Check out the Sencha Naturals photostream by clicking here! And be sure to check in for regular updates!

So we look good in the photos...but who are we behind those smiling faces? Find out about our beliefs by clicking here for Sencha Naturals company info.

Locali: A New Kind of Convenience Store

Although we have previously promoted large natural food chains such as Whole Foods & Trader Joe's, at Sencha Naturals we also believe in promoting smaller, locally-owned companies. For those of you in Los Angeles seeking organic, locally-produced, fair trade products of all kinds, Locali Conscious Convenience is your ideal neighborhood resource!
From locally-made sandwiches to organic wines & plenty of vegan goodies, Locali is a petite shop packed with lots of heart. The owners, Melissa & Greg, are two super nice people with very *green* ideals. Locali supports the local economy by purchasing from nearby vendors & manufacturers, and it reduces its "eco-footprint" by reducing the amount of shipping needed to deliver its products.

The official grand opening takes place this Friday Feb 27, so stop in & check out the goodies! There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony & free sample giveaways of their various products. And be sure to pick up our Fair Trade & Vegan Certified SEN CHA Green Tea Mints & Bars while you're at it!

5825 Franklin Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 466-1360
7 AM - 11 PM

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For more info & a store map, check out the Locali website here (and guess what---the site is 100% powered by solar energy!!).

For more about Sencha Naturals, please visit our site by clicking here.

Lunchtime Field Trip!

In the previous post about organics, farmers markets were mentioned as a possible resource for finding fresh food & pesticide-free produce. After a week of rainy weather, all of us here at Sencha Naturals decided to enjoy today's sunny weather by grabbing lunch at the weekly farmers market in downtown Los Angeles.

The sun was shining, butterflies fluttered about, and the air smelled of freshly-popped kettle corn. We sat on a grassy hill eating authentic pupusas & listened to live music...a very modest example of how the simplest things in life can also be the sweetest. Even in a big, bustling, gray concrete jungle like LA, the beauty of the world still manages to shine through.For all of you working indoors, away from windows, inside cubicles...make a point to get outside at least once a week! Enjoy the fresh air, make a phone call, do some people watching...whatever interests you, just make sure to get out! You'll return to work feeling rejuvenated & refreshed...and appreciate life just a little bit more.

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For another simple pleasure, take a tea break with some SEN CHA Green Tea Mints & Bars...gourmet treats for those seemingly-neverending workdays. Life is short; make it sweet.

The Dynamics of Organics

Did you know that many of those bright red tomatoes in the supermarket are actually unripe? A large number of conventional tomatoes are picked while still green, but are treated with ethylene gas to turn them red & make them appear ripe & ready to sell. This is why they lack flavor, texture, and can last for weeks on your kitchen counter.

So how can you avoid purchasing chemically ripened, flavorless tomatoes? Buy organic! In addition to no chemical ripening, organic foods contain NO:

*conventional pesticides
*artificial fertilizers
*food additives
*ionizing radiation
*genetic modification
*contamination by industrial waste

Moreover, organic fruits & vegetables have been shown to contain 40-60% more antioxidants & nutrients than their conventionally-grown counterparts. Many people also agree that organic produce has better taste, texture, and firmness.

The seals above indicate organically-certified products, and many other vendors at your local farmers market also sell organically-grown fruits & vegetables, though they may not have the official certification. Be sure to ask & support the movement back to organic farming for an organic planet!

Did you know? Organic farming methods promote sustainable agriculture, reduce pollution, increase biodiversity, prevent erosion of our diminishing topsoil, conserve water, and support local farmers.
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For more info about Organic Foods, follow this link for a quick fact sheet, and click here for a list of Top 10 Reasons to Buy Organic.
SEN CHA Green Tea Mints contain Organic green tea extract, and SEN CHA Green Tea Bars are about 70% organic.

Tea & Superstition

Avoiding black cats...walking around ladders...not stepping on cracks...these are just a few superstitious steps you can take to avoid bad luck, but Friday the 13th is pretty much inevitable. And actually, many of us partake in several superstitions in our daily lives without even realizing it: throwing salt over the shoulder, saying 'bless you' when someone sneezes...do we really expect something bad to happen if we refrain from these actions?Whether or not you believe in superstitions, the benefits of green tea are not to be confused with old wives' tales. Numerous studies have confirmed a correlation between tea consumption and improved health (dozens of possible benefits are mentioned in this previous blog entry).

So instead of poking around for a 4-leafed clover, perhaps there's another green leaf you should be seeking (and steeping). Camellia sinensis may not be nearly as rare, but its legend dates back far longer than any clover. So go ahead & try your luck...~~
For an alternative way to incorporate green tea in your diet, try sugar-free Green Tea Mints or vegan/kosher Green Tea Bars.

Whole Trade for a Whole Planet

All throughout February, Whole Foods markets around the country will celebrate Whole Trade month. The program promotes fairly traded goods, which in turn provides fair wages & good working conditions to small farmers & manufacturers around the world.

Underprivileged communities are given opportunities for profit-sharing, receive educational benefits, and allow employees to be promoted within companies & grow within their communities.

Fair Trade items are becoming increasingly more available in natural/health-oriented markets, and are sold at prices very comparable to their conventional counterparts. The most common products include coffee, tea, wine, and even chocolate & body care items. You can even enter to win a year's worth of Whole Trade flowers by visiting the Whole Foods website here.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can also find our Fair Trade certified Green Tea Mints & Bars in Whole Foods...be sure to ask for them!!~~
No Whole Foods in your area? You can still enjoy some SEN CHA Green Tea Mints & Bars by purchasing them through our website, found here.

Fall in Love...with Morning Lychee

Our newest flavor of Green Tea Mints actually ties in to an ancient Chinese legend of love. Keep reading for a sweet treat!As the legend goes....during the Tang Dynasty in China, Emperor Xuanzong fell in love with one of the "Four Beauties" of the era: a young woman named Yang Yuhuan. Desiring to please her, the emperor sent his royal horsemen on a journey of hundreds of miles to retrieve his beloved lady's favorite fruit: the red, heart-shaped lychee.

The horsemen took turns riding night & day to arrive at a special orchard in southern China and gather the treasured fruit. This revered orchard still blossoms today, providing luscious lychee berries to be savored by modern lovers all over the world.

This Valentine's Day, take a moment to be grateful for the love in your life. While you're at it, take advantage of our special 15% promotion offered on all Morning Lychee Mints, found by clicking here.

Fresh lychee fruit is available in specialty markets during the summer months, but you can still enjoy this fragrant flavor year-round with our Lychee Mints! Who knew that an ancient symbol of love could be packaged into a stylish pink canister?

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Fun fact: The favorite tea plantation of the Tang Dynasty is the same one from which we source the organic, Fair Trade tea for SEN CHA Green Tea Mints & Bars: Da Zhang Shan in the Big Barrier Mountains of China. Click here to learn more about this region & our other tea sources. For more on SEN CHA Mints & Bars, please click here.