Tea is one of the most sought-after and consumed drinks around the world. Originating from China, where the art of making tea is called “Cha Dao,” it spread quickly in all parts of the globe. Tea is more than tradition; it has become a comfort drink that people enjoy at any time of the day. There’s great competition out there as marketing and sales strategies have set high standards in the industry. That is why you need to make your tea labels and packaging work in the long run. Define your brand values, find your audience, and speak about who you are. The dedication you put into your products and services will pay off. With the right choice of packaging for your brand, crafting unique tea labels and printing them at the state-of-the-art, your products will be everyone's cup of tea. Let's dive into some quick tips that will help you design and print professional and high-quality tea labels.
Tea Packaging - What's Your Pick?
There are so many types of tea as customers and preferences. And that's valid also for the way tea is packaged, sold, and consumed. Offerings range from tea bags, loose-leaf tea to bottled ice tea or to-go milk teacups.
Some consume it at tearooms, while others prefer to enjoy the ritual of making it and savoring it at home. During winter, hot tea helps us get warm, while during the hot days of summer, iced tea can feel more than a blessing.
In the morning, in the afternoon, or evening, people enjoy the fine taste and fragrance of fruit, leaves, or different plant parts. Whatever the preference, the thing is people buy tea.
Manufacturers and retailers sell it in so many ways and types of packaging that it’s impossible not to be impressed.
From simple cardboard boxes to customized and luxurious packages, companies have truly outdone themselves. The most common ones that we see everywhere are tea tins, stand-up bags or pouches with a window, and boxes. The dimensions and shapes are among the most varied, and that goes for tea labels as well.
Companies know that with products such as tea, freshness is imperative. It needs protection from moisture, oxidation, odors, and sometimes UV rays. Nothing damages the quality of tea faster than inferior packaging.
So having the correct type of package is critical to success.
What are you selling your tea in?
1. Tea labels for pouches and bags
Bags of loose-leaf tea are available in many styles. Some of them are stand-up pouches, pillow pouches, side seal pouches, Kraft paper pouches, or gusseted bags.
Except for paper and Kraft paper bags, these packages are usually coated with a plastic film like LLDPE, BOPP, MET, PPE, and PE with metalized or aluminum foil lamination.
These coatings make them flexible and durable.
Even more, they elongate the shelf life of the tea as they make the package airtight, preserving the freshness and characteristics of the tea leaves.
Such bags can come plain or printed with eye-catching designs. Either way, you can apply your tea labels for the final finish.
If you prefer to go for a raw natural look and environmentally sustainable materials, that means paper or Kraft paper is your pick. Share your brand values through simplicity and sustainability.
Shoots & Roots Bitters chose a plain Kraft paper pouch that stands out a mile thanks to the amazing label design.
Large rectangular labels on both sides, covering almost the entire front and back panels.
But what's striking are the colorful and optimistic botanical illustrations on a white background combined with the blue triangle space sectioning the design.
The clear and big fonts make the text easy to read, and the brand and product name pop up. Moreover, the back label is large enough to display a lot of useful information. Excellent design and choice.
Generally, bags and pouches offer enough canvas for you to work on. You can use both sides or just one. You can use large tea labels or small tea labels, of any shape you want. As long as they wink to consumers, they are worth your time and effort.
Moving forward.
2. Tea labels for tins or canisters
Tins or canisters are not only the perfect containers for tea, but also the perfect support for labels. Let me explain why:
- They are solid and airtight
- They reduce light
- Can be safely transported, handled, and stored
- Maintain the good quality of tea leaves
- Preserve freshness
- Give the right amount of space to apply labels
For this reason, many producers and retailers prefer to sell their teas in this type of packaging. Not to mention it is zero waste. Consumers can keep them and continue to use them at home, preserving tea or other products.
As with any type of packaging, tins or canisters come in all sizes and shapes.
Some are grooved, some are plain, some are colored or with printed designs. And some have metal clasps to lock the lid securely.
What’s great is that you don’t need to worry there’s not enough space.
There are four sides (for rectangular/square tins) or all-around (for round/oval tins), plus the extra space on the top lid or bottom, waiting to accommodate your tea labels.
This means you can display your amazing design on wraparound labels or individual labels applied on each side or wherever you find it fit on the packaging.
The great advantage is that you can add more text and information that can stir interest, like the origin, cultivation, and harvesting of the plants. Or the story of your brand to get the attention of customers.
All in all, let your tea labels speak of your personality and of the vibrant fruit or healing herbs inside the box.
3. Tea labels for boxes
With tea boxes, the sky is the limit. Customized tea boxes have filled the market, and each is more original than the other.
From simple cardboard packages to more intricate shapes and designs, they perfectly accommodate labels, as well.
Whether on a blank box or on an already printed one, tea labels come to complement them with bold and original styles.
They combine compelling imagery with necessary information.
Your impressively themed or minimalist packages and tea labels can attract more customers to choose your product.
4. Eco-friendly tea packaging
Your packaging is the perfect canvas to reflect your brand pillars. You can use it to show what you support, i.e., environmental sustainability. A brown paper bag, kraft box, or wooden tube can be the basis of some exquisite tea packaging design.While experimenting with different graphic themes to attract attention and bind consumers' eyes, you can remain focused on your sustainability values. Simplicity can also mean sophistication. Eco-friendly packaging can offer both a vintage and a modern look mixed with stylish design and a tint of color on the tea labels.
By showcasing clear-cut typography, your brand wide and clear or placed in the middle, simple illustrations, and a smooth texture, you can transform your blank canvas into something spectacular.
Don't stop reading.
Tips On The Artwork And Design Of Your Tea Labels
To ensure easy readability, most designers would not use more than two fonts and typeface settings. But in the right combination and with a systematic approach, you can do this without making your tea labels look cluttered.
Make sure fonts are legible and do not overcrowd. Keep things proportional and well-balanced.
Minimalist design - soft-colored tea labels
Your text's calligraphy can set the tone from classic to modern, depending on your choice of font and colors.
Minimalist approaches work perfectly as well. Sometimes less can be more.
If you want to use more styles on your layout, you can do so by keeping it organized and sectioning each part of the label.
Make sure to maintain at least one element constant, like your logo, for example. Or a die-cut that cleverly draws the eye in toward the central point focusing on the brand and product type.
A distinctive brand logo is essential for connecting your products with your audience, and can help you tie your whole line of teas together.
You can use every inch of white space possible on the packaging. In this way, you save money while being creative.
Consider images for your tea labels
Using suggestive pictures can also make your tea label design stand out! Aim for images that convey a feeling of radiance and comfort. Keep them aligned with both your brand profile and global design to keep things balanced.
You can choose an illustration for each type of plant or tea. Or you can go with one representative image on all labels and packaging.
Die-cuts - a treat for tea labels
A die-cut or custom shape cutout always adds a bespoke character to any tea label. Essentially, it all boils down to matching your labels with your brand identity.
Imagine a die-cut tea label fitting into the grooves of your container and adding a premium impression to it.
If your container is straightforward, having a flat surface, standard shapes such as circles and squares are also elegant in their simplicity, with the right artwork and execution.
Type of materials - Use durable BOPP labels
Don’t be afraid to play around with different concepts and materials. Consider the type of packaging you want to pack your tea in when deciding on the label material.
Opaque and plain containers, such as tins, may require a more elaborate design presented on a white background label with vibrant prints to add color. Instead, using clear labels allows your tea leaves to “shine” through, and showcases their freshness and color.
Moreover, tea containers and packages are handled frequently, so they need to resist rubbing and scratching and still look great. So, the best recommendation for label material is BOPP, a durable material made of a long-wearing plastic film.
BOPP Labels
All BOPP labels are oilproof, waterproof, tear-resistant, chemicals & UV resistant (the colors don’t fade in the sunlight), non-toxic, and safe for all industries.
- Waterproof
- Strong adhesive that lasts
- Heat resistant
- Sturdy & high-quality
- High-precision printing & cutting
- Free matte or gloss coating
- Can be foil stamped
- Print doesn’t smudge
- Write-on with a permanent marker
- Non-toxic
If you’re on a mission to create exceptional labels, always consider extra finishing touches. It makes all the difference in transforming your labels’ final look and feel. You can coat your labels with gloss or matte over-laminate. This protects them from scuffs and keeps them shining. Here's what you can add to your tea labels:
- Gloss lamination
- Matte lamination
- Soft-touch lamination
FDA Compliant Tea Labels
To market your tea products, you need a few key pieces of information:
- Brand name
- Product name
- Quantity of tea inside
- Country of origin
- Ingredients list
- Nutrition facts
- Best before date
- Manufacturer or retailer's address
You must create ingredient lists and nutrition facts panels in line with the FDA's regulations. Most tea packaging requires the full FDA complement of nutrition facts alongside ingredients and amounts.
Claims that are not supported by science or which are not in line with the FDA’s regulations for food, will lead to mislabeling and the FDA taking legal action against it.
Yet, some teas are exempt from nutrition labeling. And this is when they contain insignificant amounts of nutrients from loose leaves or when the tea is plain and unsweetened.
An easy way to create a premium brand experience
What you really want is a customer who is both attracted by your tea label design, and ultimately by what's written on the package.
Add some personality to your product, offer buyers more than the competition, and elevate your brand.
How? Consider including the following on your tea labels:
- Describe the flavor and aroma of your tea - or the feelings they can evoke
- Give useful brewing instructions
- Outline serving ideas (if the tea can be served with milk or iced)
- Suggest the best time of day to serve the tea
- Anything captivating or funny about your tea
Print High-Quality Tea Labels At YourBoxSolution
With over 29 years of experience in the packaging industry, our mission is to make sure you receive the best quality labels on your choice of materials and extra finishes.
We make everything in-house, and our digital printing methods allow us to deliver short turnaround times and amounts as small as 250 pieces.
If you have questions or need guidance, we’re here to answer your queries and support you all the way and through the entire process.
We make sure your branding and imagery always look good and ready for success.
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