The Product
Teaja – Organic loose-leaf teas and herbal blends for the office – presented in a wooden rack that is loaded with eight refillable, labeled canisters and drawstring filters.
Most popular flavors: Booya, Double Cream Earl Grey, Simply Green, Citrus Green, Coconut Pu’erh, Teaja Breakfast, Fully Chai and Nana’s Blueberry Website – www.teaja.com
The Back Story
When Teaja was founded in 2013, Jeff Stebbings, Co-Founder, saw a huge void in the workplace tea business. “In the coffee service space, tea was just “pick your teabag and put it in your cup. With tea drinkers (Millennials in particular) all looking for better tea options, Teaja was developed out of a need to elevate the tea space in the office environment,” said Stebbings. “We wanted to deliver to tea drinkers the same interaction, fun, personalization and excitement that was being experienced by single cup coffee drinkers.”
Following two years of educating operators on the Teaja experience, Stebbings reports that the company has enjoyed steady growth among operators. With a presentation like no other, Teaja is a distinctive product in any workplace kitchen. When an operator sells Teaja, they deliver a wooden rack with room for eight refillable containers. The various loose-leaf tea products are sold to clients by the 8oz bag (generating a solid initial order) and are then are poured into the containers. For the customer, Teaja is a fragrant and personal experience, when they use a small spoon to fill their own drawstring filter bag with Teaja Tea.
Stebbings said that Teaja has emphasized being friendly to the planet from the very beginning and has intensified the effort recently. “Over the last six months, we have really tightened up that message of environmental impact and sustainability because it is important to us and our customers,” said Stebbings, pointing to the following key factors:
- All Teaja Teas are organic certified.
- Three Teaja Teas are now certified fair trade products.
- All Teaja Teas are Kosher certified.
- The tea filters are unbleached, compostable and biodegradable.
- Teaja Office racks are made from Paulownia wood, the fastest growing hardwood on the planet and the second most sustainable harvested wood (after bamboo).
Next – Teaja is coming to the micro market space. “We have received so much interest from office workers about buying Teaja for their personal use, we are recommending Teaja in 2oz bags, perfect for generating new revenue in a micro market location,” said Stebbings.
Why Teaja Makes Sense for Operators
- Strong Sales Tool: Bring Teaja along to a coffee tasting and you will see an emotional reaction from the forgotten ones – the tea drinkers.
- Demographics: Another perfect product for Millennials and the coming Generation Z, both of whom seek customized beverages (a trend that just keeps growing) and healthier products – along with greater environmental awareness.
- Competitive Advantage: An operator that offers Teaja establishes themselves as an innovator who is willing to go the extra mile to introduce fun, healthy and earth friendly products.
- Higher sales volume and higher margins: Teaja can outsell traditional premium teas by as much as 5 to 1 or more.
- Reasonably Priced: The product cost is 50% of single cup brewer teas and comparable in cost per serving to premium traditional teas. One big difference – There is no portion control with Teaja, which helps drive the increased usage.
- Delicious Tea: This is the kind of tea that non-tea drinkers can enjoy. Teaja can be served hot or cold. Teaja brings the tea bar experience to the office.
- The Teaja Experience Kit: Jeff Stebbings and his team understand that once an office environment enjoys the Teaja experience, there is a very high retention rate. Accordingly, Teaja is willing to provide sample kits to serious operators – including the Teaja Office wood rack, the cannisters (filled with tea) and the filter bags. Teaja offers a powerful demo tool.
Bob’s Perspective
As an operator, I had a great deal of experience and success with Teaja Teas.
When you introduce Teaja Teas to a prospect or a client, you can expect one of two reactions.
Reaction #1 – “No way, this is messy, I can’t deal with it, they’ll steal the canisters.” This usually happens in a listless office environment that is probably getting ready to cut cocoa to save money.
Reaction #2 – “I want it, when can you deliver it? Can we get one for each kitchen? Our CEO will love this!”
You’ll notice that in reaction #2, price isn’t even a consideration or often, even a question. After all – it’s just tea.
Bottom line – An operator that takes on Teaja and promotes it in amenity friendly locations will enjoy growth in the tea category – a product segment that has been stagnant for a long time. For information about Teaja Teas, contact Jeff Stebbings at 778-840-4832 or [email protected]
Would you like to have your product, equipment or service featured in Bob Tullio’s Product Perspective? Contact me at [email protected]
