How to Design Tea Packaging

🍵  The tea market’s growth is expected to rise at a CAGR rate of 6.75%. According to Statista, the market will grow to a volume of over 7,443mkg in 2025. Having that in mind, tea vendors should step up their game in every possible aspect, especially how they design their tea packaging! To stand out from the crowd and provide your stellar tea leaves or products with ample protection, you'll need proper packaging that doesn't leave your branding out.

The Best Forms of Tea Packages

When talking about tea packaging, it’s important to know that old paper boxes are a thing of the past. Insects can get into them easily, they don’t protect the paper bags and don’t preserve the odor. Not to mention, they’re susceptible to leaks, as well as moisture and outside contamination during transport.

For that reason, in the past, tea packaging, in the form of paper boxes, has always been wrapped in plastic in order to protect the contents. That’s a bad, non-environmentally friendly way to solve this issue. So, what possible solutions are there to wrap and protect tea packages?

Custom Paper Tubes

Nowadays, one of the best solutions is the usage of custom paper tubes, made out of entirely recycled eco-friendly material. These can even be used to package liquids, meaning they are 100 percent water-proof and don’t require plastic. They look a hundred times better, are more eye-catching on shelves, and preserve the aroma of the enclosed product.

Paper tubes are reusable and easy to reseal. That means long after the tea is gone, customers will use your branded paper tubes to store other things in it, and your brand name will be on the top of their minds whenever they open the tubes.

Custom Stand-Up Pouches

Stand-up bags are the other viable option that is preferred by many top-notch tea suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors. They’re a perfect example of how two different packaging options can have the same benefits, namely great shelf space, product protection in terms of UV, moisture, and insects, as well as reusability.

Stand-up pouches and custom paper tubes have exactly the same pros and cons, and it’s down to personal preference whether your brand would like to utilize one or the other as the primary tea packaging for your products.

Common Do’s and Don’ts When Designing Tea Packaging

Regardless of what kind of packaging you go for, the rules that apply are pretty much the same for most custom product boxes. These are the most common things to add to your checklist when designing your packaging:

• Clear vision. The customer must immediately recognize what your product is when they see it on the shelf.
• Recognition. Your logo should be placed in a visible location without covering too much or too little of the overall visible surface. It should also have good contrast from the background of the package.
• Truth and transparency. Misrepresenting a product is just as bad as false advertising. Make sure the customer knows what they’re purchasing.
• Differentiate your product. Take a look at a dozen packaging solutions from competitors. Put them on a shelf. Go to local supermarkets and take pictures of the shelf space. Make montages of what your potential packaging would look like among them. If you want to take things one step further, create a focus group and ask them which one they’d choose based on packaging alone, without them knowing which product is yours. Assess the data, and redesign.
• Stay on brand. If you’ve already had some previous success and your brand is somewhat recognizable in the field you’re targeting, don’t pivot from your already established voice. If you make drastic pivots, this might result in nobody recognizing you anymore and might prove counterproductive to the whole redesign campaign. At least reutilize former elements like the logo and brand colors.

Know Your Market

Is your product competing with other luxury products, or are you in the middle of the pack? Determine what matters for your customers. Of course, luxury packaging like tin boxes and highly customized paper tubes might cost you a little extra and cut into your profit margins, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it cannot bring a higher ROI overall.

The success of your solution solely depends on your target audience. Determine whether your audience consists of high-end luxury purchasers or if they’re purchasing your product solely for the product and not so much for the experience and journey.

This can be done with the help of surveying. If you don’t have an online user base, you can collect contact information physically or with an online giveaway. Ask the people what form of tea packaging they think best suits your brand, and reward them. Don’t forget to provide them with ready answers to choose from to make it easier.

🎁 Wrapping it Up

Packaging is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of your tea product that determines whether it will be positively perceived on a shelf or not seen at all. Do your research and be sure to allow your brand's personality to shine on your protective pouch or paper tube packaging for tea!

Check out noissue's Stand Up Pouches and Paper Tubes to customize and perfectly package your tea! Pair them with eco-friendly finishes like packing tape, labels, and more for an impressive unboxing experience.