Agency opens a window onto premium tea

Melbourne branding agency Believe has helped UK tea specialist Associated British Foods propel its flagship Twinings product into the Australian boutique beverage market with a high-end packaging design for the company's new Premium Infusion tea range.

The new Twinings collection, which is exclusive to Australia and the UK and features larger leaf teas, makes use of the increasingly popular pyramid-style bag.

In this case, the silky-looking bags are made from corn starch, ensuring 100 per cent biodegradability.

According to Steven Twining, a tenth generation Twining who visited Australia to help launch the range, the bag was chosen for its ability to allow the tea leaves to circulate and infuse.

“These are larger leaf teas so they need a larger space to brew,” he said.

The new range includes Fragrant Green Jasmine, Brisk English Morning, Honeycomb Camomile Buds, Vintage Earl Grey, and Cottage Mint Leaves and retails for $6.39 per 32g box.

The pyramid bags are complemented by luxury packaging produced by Believe to help Twinings stand out on shelves against such competitive high-end tea offerings as the T2 and Madame Flavour brands.

The new packs feature individualised “aroma trails” for each flavour in the range based on the leaves and ingredients inside.

The aroma trails also are depicted as rising from a die cut window of a tea cup on the front of the pack, which also serves a dual purpose to enable customers to see the large tea leaves inside.

To stand out on shelves, the agency used a very pale, off-white background with premium foil gold stamping. To add interest and further excitement to the packs each side panel features its own unique pattern, with a clear foil adding another level of detail and finish to the overall presentation.

Believe said that demand for the new packs, released in Australia earlier this month, has so far outstripped Twinings ability to supply.