According to Teapigs, which offers high quality whole leaf tea in fuso-style bags, loose leaf tea is a must. However, as well as quality, it’s important to offer exciting blends, adds the company’s co-founder Louise Cheadle.
“Indulgent flavours like apple and cinnamon, and liquorice and mint are especially popular,” she explains. “Increase sales by getting creative – make healthy chai lattes by brewing chai tea temples with a little hot water, and topping it up with steamed milk and honey.”
Getting the offer right also offsets any possible price hikes and recently there were concerns this summer about rising prices of Kenyan tea.
Cheadle says it’s inevitable that prices fluctuate with weather patterns and seasonal availability. “A large amount of Kenyan tea is exported so increases would be felt in the UK mainstream tea market,” she says. “In terms of operators managing the fluctuation, signing a contract with a supplier will mean that pricing can be set for a period of time.”
Demand for non-traditional blends has seen them grow by 8.7% in value over the last year capturing a 27.3% share of the market, says Twinings, which has introduced a 21-strong range of loose leaf tea blends that responds to this demand. “It delivers tea in a cool way to maximise the tastes and excitement that people want,” says sales director Rob Brazier.
Research undertaken by the company and a high street partner suggests consumers are prepared to pay at least 20% more for a cup of loose leaf tea that can deliver three times the profit of a cappuccino.
“Tea has seen a massive resurgence,” says Brazier. “Evidence includes a number of tea shops opening and a three-month waiting list for afternoon tea venues. Coffee has had good times but tea menus are now more exciting.”
Tetley’s new Mood Infusions range enables caterers to match tea with the right mood, and its suggestions for food pairings include serving Serenity, an fusion of lemon balm, honey and sarasaparilla root, with a turkey sandwich, as the turkey contains high levels of the amino acid tryptophan which is converted by the body into the ‘good mood’ neurotransmitter serotonin.
“The range contains ingredients as varied as orange blossom, nettle leaves, poppy flowers and red clover, perfect for piquing customers’ interest,” says marketing director Amy Holdsworth.
Allan Pirret, sales director at Novus Tea, says that more than twice as much tea as coffee is consumed daily in the UK and it is becoming more popular with youngsters. “Premium tea has a cool image among people aged 25-34; operators should be aware of this in the way they promote tea,” he explains, adding that English breakfast and Earl Grey are bestsellers which should be on a premium tea menu.
Another sales opportunity is offering high quality tea with the Fairtrade mark to sell alongside fairly-traded coffee, comments Adrian O’Hare, sales director at Peros. The company, which offers Eros Fairtrade and organic bagged tea in 10 flavours, says that the combination of serving tea properly, creating theatre, offering it with food and highlighting ethical credentials, improves uptake and enables operators charge more for it.
