How to Choose best tea packaging?

For those who consume it, tea is more than just a product. It is a profound experience, a bonding ritual, an everyday essential. People take their tea very seriously; Hence, it is no surprise that tea brands have to stay at the top of their game when curating and marketing their products.

Tea entrepreneurs know their blends need to be perfect, aromatic, and pack the right punch. However, before the taste, the packaging is what entices the customer. Your tea packaging must echo your brand identity and be suitable for the type of blend and mix you are selling.

Today, we’ll help you identify and understand what makes the best packaging for your tea brand, plus what to keep in mind when deciding on the final look. Let’s get steeping!

Identify Your Target Audience

Undoubtedly the first question brands seek to answer is: who is their ideal customer? It defines who to sell to and drives your product, business, and marketing strategy.

Tea is a versatile product with multiple blends, and customer choices vary region-wise. Black tea is popular in the West, while green tea reigns in the East. Within the East, South Asia boasts of multiple tea choices – chai, fruit teas, or khadas. With such an array of market segments, identifying and focusing on your ideal customer can help you focus on perfecting the blend and marketing of your product.

Get the Tea on Your Competition

Once you have identified the segment you want to focus on, scout out your competition. It will help identify best practices for the segment, understand what the customers prefer (and why), and highlight areas of differentiation.

Studying how the competitor brands look, taste, and approach the market can help you strategize your entry into the market. Focus on brands with similar offerings and observe how they brand, market, distribute and promote their products. Competitor intelligence will help you create a brand identity and presence that will set it apart from your rivals and give your product its uniqueness.

The next step is to focus on product packaging. Custom tea packaging creates an emotional connection with the brand and will help enhance brand loyalty.

Tea Packaging Types

Packaging is an important facet of any brand, especially tea brands. Tea packaging should complement the blend and mixture to help preserve its freshness and taste. The packaging material should offer protection from moisture and hot and humid conditions.

The most popular tea packaging materials are cardboard boxes, stand-up pouches, and canisters…

Cardboard Boxes

Undoubtedly, everyone is familiar with tea packed in cardboard boxes. These boxes or custom folded cartons are versatile and popular packing materials. They are the perfect packaging for tea blends and leaves pre-packed in sealed plastic or foil bags.

Cartons are easy to design for custom tea packaging. Custom-designed labels, branding artwork, and visuals can be printed with ease. Additionally, the carton sizes can be customized for multiple SKUs and variants, allowing for cohesive product marketing efforts. They can also take unique shapes and sizes, making your brand stand out from the rest.

Stand-Up Pouches

Stand-up pouches are resealable packs and are popular packaging for tea. They are suitable for both loose tea leaves as well as sachets.

Like cartons, they offer adequate space for branding, custom tea labeling, and designing. They are cheap and easy to use for customers, making them a popular choice.

Cannisters

The two packaging materials mostly used for canisters are metal and cardboard. Metallic tins can be in any shape or size, leaving you open to various choices that complement your branding style. Cardboard tubes are also popular.

Canisters serve best for packaged or loose tea. You can custom design labels and packaging for your brand setting it apart from the rest. The packaging also becomes a popular choice as the canisters can be reused for multiple purposes by customers.

Pick the Perfect Tea Packaging for your Brand

When the time comes for you to select a tea packaging style, you’ll have several options to choose from based on your company’s needs. Make sure you choose a style that aligns with your brand. When choosing the package, you must take three aspects into special consideration. The packaging should keep the tea fresh, make usage and storage convenient, and should be eco-friendly.

The right material and shape will complement not only the product, but also your tea labeling and branding. Once you have chosen the best material, the next step is to use it creatively on the packaging.

Design Stunning Custom Labels and Visuals

Packaging visuals include brand names, logos, taglines, custom images, product information, and labels. Custom label printing and visuals support your marketing efforts and help customers recognize your product among several other brands. Hence, it is important to give them careful consideration.

Your product packaging should include your brand name and logo, as well as also contain relevant product information (such as ingredients) and visuals. Ensure that the visuals are relevant to the type of tea you are selling and the variant.

The colors chosen are also part of your brand identity. When you differentiate variants based on colors, you need to ensure that the different colors are congruent with your brand colors and identity for brand recognition!

Special ingredients and benefits should be front and center on your labels or tea packaging so they grab the customer’s attention. For example, chamomile tea is often used for calming and soothing nerves, hence, a pack should communicate this clearly so shoppers know exactly the value they’re getting from your tea product.

Labels and packaging represent your brand and help you communicate with customers at the point-of-sale. Your packaging needs to be neat and simplistic but eye-catching. With such an incredible emphasis on the visual element, we recommend consulting a designer who can help you optimize the best use of the limited real estate on the packaging.

If you’re looking for professionals to help you design and print custom tea labels, M&R Label is ready to help! With over 30 years of cross-industry experience, we’re professionals in helping businesses in all industries create custom, high-quality labels. Connect with our team for a consultation and to learn how we can add value to your product marketing with premium, custom labels that set your brand apart from the competition.

Ready to WOW your customers with terrific tea packaging?

M&R Label has the tools and knowledge to take your custom tea labels to the next level!

I agree to Packhelp.com Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

The world of tea packaging design is an engrossing and somewhat intoxicating one to keep track of. 

Traditional Victorian-era designs from a bygone era, and solid colours and minimalist elements.

Whether old or new, tea brands, without a doubt, go to all extremes with their packaging design. 

Several aspects make your product attractive, including the box you ship it in, the stand-up pouches you package your loose leaf tea in, and even the tea bags themselves.

Each part of the design must work together and build an overall voice for your brand.

Getting started with tea branding

According to Statista, the volume of tea consumed in Europe will rise to 767.9 mkg by 2025, creating growth of around 3.4% annually.

It's clear:

People love their tea.

But they also love trying out new flavours.

Source: Moya Matcha

Tea packaging might be an afterthought for some companies, but it can make yours stand out from any other product on market shelves.

You’re competing with thousands of different items on the store shelves. You have to stand out in your section and amidst a sea of packaging. 

You can have the most amazing tea that anyone ever consumed, but if the colours and design of your packaging fall flat, your sales will suffer.

Even the classic tea brand Twinings knows the power of clever packaging design:

This article will discuss the various aspects of a smart tea packaging design and why it works as a marketing tool.

We will also look at some examples of smart packaging.

What Are the Rules of Tea Packaging Design?

Tea packaging keeps the item secure and adds value to the product. It grabs interest and tells a story.

Some of the basic rules of good packaging design include:

• Proper logo placement

• A clear definition of what the product is

• Authenticity and truth

• Differentiation from similar offers

• Securing the tea from moving around too much in shipment

• Showcasing the voice of the brand

Of course, there are other ways tea packaging helps sell your product, but these are basic elements of a good design.

Common tea packaging materials

You'll find some common packaging solutions amongst all tea brands.

Cardboard product boxes, metal tins and even stand up pouches.

The standard product box with some form of kraft paper inside is the go-to packaging solution for many brands that sell their tea in teabags.

Australian brand Yarra Valley Tea Co. is a fine example of tea packaging design on a simple paper stock box.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Yarra Valley Tea Co (@yarravalleyteaco)

When it comes to loose leaf tea, stand up pouches or doypacks are another common solution. A fine example of this is the Argentinian brand, Tenki Patagonia.

Stand up pouches are durable, cheap, and along with a mailer box, are great for subscription-based brands.

One tea packaging solution that's growing in popularity is the cardboard tube and paper can.

Another Polish brand, Dworzysk, use stunningly detailed designs on the side of their tube to create an image that invokes the same feelings that the tea helps drinkers feel.

In this case, it's getting a good night's sleep. 

Paper & Tea also use cardboard tubes as the medium for their tea packaging.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by P & T - Paper & Tea (@paperandtea)

But its metal tins that are, without a doubt, one of the most eye-catching forms of tea packaging.

Swedish tea brand Teministeriet sells their range of teas in black metal tins.

The solid black design allows the simple white text to draw in the eyes of the view to read the type of tea - in the case, the '150' tea.

Metal tins are strong and robust, making them one of the best examples of packaging sustainability in tea packaging design.

These tins are frequently reused elsewhere in a household and are entirely recyclable when they are disposed of.

See how to use Packhelp's online designer to create custom tea packaging

Let’s dig into how you accomplish these features and look at some examples of brands doing an excellent job with their tea packaging.

Do: Customise the Design

Know who your target audience is and what makes them tick.

Which pain points drive them to try a new tea brand?

Perhaps they want something different in their lives.

Maybe they care most about flavour.

The only way of figuring out your customers’ needs is by surveying them and digging deep into the psychographics of your buyer personas.

Once you understand the forces driving them to seek out a new tea, you’ll know how to package it to meet their needs.

Tea company Harney & Sons place some of their speciality tea sachets in tin cans.

The design gives a hint of times gone by and is the perfect choice for those feeling a bit nostalgic.

This Victorian-era feel implies that the brand has been around for a long time.

Consumer intuition says that if a brand has been around for a long time, it's trustworthy.

Therefore, this tea must be good, because it's been around for so long. 

Don’t: Go Cheap

The cost of tea packaging can eat into your profit margins. After all, a tin can costs more to produce than a cardboard box.

However, if you want your item to compete against luxury goods, you must spend a bit more on your design and materials.

You don’t have to use tin but think through even the thickness of the cardboard or how the colours look on the packaging’s background.

Learn more about Packhelp's corrugated Mailer Boxes

Building trust amongst your consumers is vital.

A brand that's consistent in its branding is one that's trustworthy: it shows pride in one's name and product.

What makes your company stand out from other tea entrepreneurs? How can you showcase your unique value proposition on the box?

Do: Embrace a Cause

What do you care most about as a brand? How can you highlight this through your tea packaging?

For example, if you care about feeding hungry children, you might include a note stating each box purchased helps a specific cause.

Your tea packaging design should also echo what your company cares about: its values.

If your business is one that prioritises conservation and sustainability, this should be echoed in your tea's ingredients. 

Juniper Ridge embraces nature both via the design and the tea packaging material.

The design shows plants and a lot of white space.

The designer layered three strips resembling parchment paper to contain text.

The box itself is Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) material. Even the ink is environmentally friendly.

The wording on the package shows their commitment to sustainability.

It points out the packing materials and shares that they cultivate the ingredients in the tea responsibly to not harm the environment.

Don’t: Forget Your Brand Identity.

Since 90% of people admit to remembering a company based on colours and images, your packaging should include your logo and colour palette.

If people already associate red with your tea, don’t deviate too much from that.

Your logo is also a big part of who you are as a brand.

Make sure it takes a prominent place on your packaging. Ideally, people associate your voice with your tea.

When they want a different flavour or type, they’ll look for your symbols and recognise you immediately.

Below is a fine example of using colour to differentiate flavours from Raven Coffee:

Learn the finer details about coffee packaging here

At the same time, think about the image you project in the words you use and the tone you take.

If you want to be seen as a young, hip business, tap into language familiar to the younger generation.

If you wish to reach senior citizens, utilise a classic style and tone.

Pukka Herbs do this with all their tea packaging. However, it's interesting to see how those values are recreated on their large setup boxes used as gift sets.

The same floral motifs associated with their logo and other packaging solutions are echoed on the larger boxes.

This is a fine example of consistent tea packaging branding over multiple mediums while using colour to differentiate flavours.

Do: Focus on the Basics

While you want your tea packaging to stand out, don’t be afraid to scale things back to a more minimalist style.

Let your product speak for itself. The quality of the box and the items inside can do a lot of your talking for you.

A minimalist look might not be suitable for all tea packaging, but if you already have a fairly established brand, it can focus on what’s inside.

There are still some things you’ll need to include, such as ingredients, your tagline, and logo.

However, you don’t need to add vivid colour or tons of graphics to get your point across.

Is the look right for you? Only you can decide the voice of your tea brand.

Smith Tea keeps its package design simple.

They use neutral black and white with a touch of gold. Note the high-quality cardboard with a glossy finish and hot stamping.

The number of elements on the container is minimal.

To match the style of their tea boxes, they also keep their site to only a couple of colours and add plenty of white space around images and text.

The overall impression is one of simplicity and quality.

TWG Tea is another example of minimalistic packaging design.

In this example, you can see how they use black and gold to imply excellence and quality.

Do: Tell a Story

People love a good brand story.

• How did you get where you are today?

• What motivated you to start your company?

• Have you overcome any major hurdles?

You might think that’s a lot to convey on your packaging, but you can easily tell a story with clever copy.

Condense your primary victory into a single line of five or fewer words.

Learn more about Concrete Jungle and how they communicate their uniqueness. 

Include it as a tagline on your product packaging.

You can even add QR codes and links that take the user to a more in-depth look at your company’s timeline.

Don’t: Overload Your Design.

We’ve already talked about utilising a minimalist design for your tea packaging.

There is a lot of information you’d like to convey to your users, but it’s important to focus only on the essential elements.

Otherwise, your design becomes overloaded with competing elements.

Too much noise and a busy look may turn customers away.

When given a choice between two designs, which one is best?

You’ll find it is almost always the one with less information or condensed wording.

Pictures say more than words, so think about whether you can convey the same message with a photo or illustration.

Study Your Competition

Creating the perfect tea packaging requires creativity, knowledge, and attention to detail.

Take time to study your competition and what their boxes look like. Is yours different enough to grab attention while still making it clear tea is inside?

Know your customer base well, as they may have different preferences than other tea brands.

Once you tap into your users’ preferences and develop the perfect design, you should run it past a control group or two.

Get feedback on any tweaks that might improve it further.

Take the time on the front end to develop the best product packaging possible.

The result will be excellent sales and brand recognition.

About the author:

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly. She was the director at a marketing agency before becoming a freelance web designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and dog, Bear.