Four models dressed in period garb sat drinking tea and eating scones at a table inside the hotel lobby. "When our guests arrive, these people will be here, so we'll show them what high tea is," Gushue said. A stage draped in black fabric sat inside the Courtyard Café, the hotel's main restaurant. Organizers pulled back the drapes to reveal a white stage with three boxes covered in white fabric. When volunteers lifted the fabric, green, red, and orange spotlights shone down on each of the bottles, with each colour reflecting a new flavour: Fuji Apple Green Tea, Acai Blueberry Red Tea, and Mandarin Orange White Tea.

The beverage companies also invited celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak and actress Estella Warren to speak about the nutritional value of the product. "I can't wait to sneak this stuff across the border," Pasternak said, noting that Vitao is not yet available in the U.S.   —Susan O'Neill