The Cup Runneth Over: Yogi Tea’s Colossal Collapse & The Future of Corporate Food
In December 2011, Oregon Circuit Court Judge Leslie M. Roberts ruled in favor of the plaintiffs—former employees and members of the spiritual organization Sikh Dharma Worldwide founded by Yogi Bhajan. They alleged misconduct and misappropriation of funds by the management team at Golden Temple, the parent company of iconic organic food brands Yogi Tea and Peace Cereal, also founded by Bhajan. The plaintiffs claim that upon Yogi Bhajan’s death in 2003, the management team began to siphon monies back into Golden Temple that were intended for Bhajan’s spiritual non-profit, avoided compensating his lifelong personal assistants and his family, and eventually sold ownership of the multi-million dollar business to themselves for a mere $100 before selling the cereal division for more than $70 million. The defendants now must repay some $30 million taken in “breach of trust.” It’s the stuff crime novels are based on—but ‘spiritual’ yogi thieves?
