Here Design has created a bold new brand identity for Bangladeshi tea brand Teatulia as it launches in UK with a flagship store in Covent Garden. With leaves sourced from a single garden in Tetulia, Bangladesh, Teatulia's garden-to-cup teas are hand-picked and never blended with leaves from other sources. A social enterprise designed to create jobs in a remote region of Bangladesh, Teatulia has transformed 3,000 acres of barren land into an organic tea garden, rejuvenating the land for future generations.
In the UK market most tea brands are blends - bringing together leaves from multiple gardens - and without a strong sense of origin, visual design codes often lean towards more generic references such as floral patterns. Combined with traditional perceptions of tea as a patriotic drink signifying temperance and domesticity, these generic visuals are usually supported by a gentle, passive brand language.
Drawing on Teatulia's strong heritage and unusual market position as a single-source tea garden, Here Design developed a bold, disruptive identity rooted in a sense of place and conveying depth of flavor, creating standout in a crowded category.
The on-pack design is infused with Bangladeshi culture; inspired by renowned graphic designer Satyajit Ray, the lush colours of the tea garden and Bengali script. Each variant is emblazoned with its beginning letter, moving away from a category focus on the health benefits of tea and instead concentrating on taste.
All other copy on the packaging has been stripped back, with geometric patterns in bold, vivid colors taking centre stage and catching the eye on a busy shelf. Here Design found inspiration for these jewel-like colors in the clothing of local Bangladeshi women working in the tea garden, standing out against a sea of green foliage.
The stories of these women and the wider brand are told in more detail within the new flagship store, with the history of the Teatulia co-operative incorporated into the retail design, encouraging customers to ask questions and unveil the stories of the women behind the brand.
"Tea has played the role of the gentle sister to coffee's macho big brother for too long - we wanted to work with Teatulia to change all that and show the world just how bold and vibrant tea can be," commented Tess Wicksteed, Strategy Partner, Here Design. "On every level, from the women who pick the tea to the newly focussed portfolio - Teatulia is a community of strong, purposeful individuals - bold and colourful."
Photos: Courtesy of Here Design