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Luzianne

Luzianne (a regional pronunciation of "Louisiana") is the brand name for a line of Southern beverages and packaged goods, most famously Luzianne Iced Tea. Though most Luzianne products are available throughout the country, the popularity of the brand rests mainly in the Southern United States. Products carrying the Luzianne brand name are manufactured by the Reily Foods Company with its headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana.

History

In the late 1890’s William B. Reily was operating a wholesale grocery company in Monroe, Louisiana. Noticing the high demand for coffee products, Reily decided to move south to New Orleans to start a business that would roast, grind, package and distribute canned coffee. In December 1902 he started his coffee business and the Luzianne brand was born.

Though William Reily began selling tea products under the Luzianne name just one year after opening his coffee business, his focus remained squarely on the roasting and distribution of his coffee products. Over the next 30 years, the popularity of iced tea grew stronger, especially in the South, due in part to the continued proliferation of refrigerators and, consequently, the production of ice.

In 1932, recognizing the popularity of iced tea, Reily began brewing a tea made specifically for iced tea called Luzianne Iced Tea. Though the Reily family has continued to roast and sell coffee under the Luzianne name, Luzianne Iced Tea has become the leading product with the Luzianne brand name. Under the direction of Reily’s sons (William B. Reily, Jr. and James W. Reily) and later his grandson (William B. Reily III) Luzianne Iced Tea has become the number two selling iced tea in the United States as it stands today.

Though little has changed about the original flavor of Luzianne Iced Tea since 1932, product extensions have been developed by the Reily Foods Company to meet consumer demand for flavored teas. Reily Foods first developed and distributed Peach Mango and Raspberry flavorings, which were liquid concentrations that were added to original Luzianne Iced Tea to give added fruit flavor. Most recently, Reily has begun selling a line of fruit-flavored teas (lemon, raspberry, peach) with the flavor already added to the bag.