English Tea Shop – The Dieline

Sri Lanka, the island nation off the coast of the Indian subcontinent, is renowned for its tea, a $1 billion market, and most of the nation’s output, about 93%, is exported.

However, not all of the tea from the country formerly known as Ceylon is equal. English Tea Shopstrives to set itself apart by offering organic and fair-trade whole leaf tea, delivered in the most sustainable way, while also giving back to the Sri Lankan community through initiatives such as educational and vocational training.

It’s part of a commitment to their principle of Combined Shared Value (CSV), a concept founded on the idea that brands can succeed through strong assurances to sustainable practices that create value for stakeholders such as the communities companies operate in, themselves, and globally.

Their commitment to positive and sustainable practices extends beyond tea leaf production, and they teamed up with Echo Brand Design to create 100% compostable packaging for their new line of whole leaf teas. The colors and designs on the boxes reflect local Sri Lankan art and culture, and feature mandalas inspired by their heady brews. The packaging unfolds like a flower, revealing stories about the farmers that grow the ingredients. The tea also comes housed in a GMO-free cellulose pouch, and it includes a reusable dosing scoop, while the boxes fold up to serve as a tea caddy and are free of glue, staples, and tape.

“To further embrace English Tea Shop’s CSV principles, which are, in fact, aligned with our own—and to highlight their celebration of the farmers, employees and organic produce behind their brand—we wanted to create a packaging which would unfold to unveil the brand’s sustainable narrative inside,” says Junior Account Manager at Echo Brand Design Lily Kowalik. “Centred around the signature mandala motif, each box reveals the stories behind the ingredients of each tea, the lives of those who helped create it, and the history of English Tea Shop’s sustainable and ethical business model. To celebrate their brand transparency from farm to cup, we positioned these stories right at the center of our design rather than hiding them away in the small print.”

English Tea Shop’s range of teas are available in over 50 countries worldwide.

Read the article on The Dieline’s website here.