A customized and well-designed Caddy is one of the most important and powerful branding tools. It has the ability to elevate your tea business to unprecedented heights.
- In this article I will tell you everything important about caddies from my experience:
- the importance for your brand
- the special importance for brands doing business online
- what makes a good and functioning design
- how to customize a purchased caddy from your supplier
- how to start the production of your own caddy design
So kindly give me a few minutes of your attention and let’s dive into the nuanced world of the branded caddy and unravel its significance in shaping the identity of your tea business.
1. The tea caddy – one of the most powerful branding items
The caddy is what makes your shop a tea shop – proudly staged in the back of your counter: The main representative and ambassador of your brand commands attention.
Its symbolic power goes far beyond its utilitarian function, making it a significant character actor in both the tea shop and your own tea brand.
In some cases, the Caddy has such a high recognition value that it is immediately associated with the brand – even more: it is the flagship of the company.
This is the case with Mariages Frères, TWG and Dammann, to name just a few examples.
Colorful Caddies determine the appearance of the TWG Tea Store
My very warm advice: Use the potential of an outstanding Caddy – it could be the game changer!
2. The tea caddy – the most important representative for online tea businesses
For brands doing business mainly online, another caddy is in focus: the caddy as end customer packaging.
This tea caddy takes center stage, eclipsing even the prominence of your logo.
Omnipresent on online platforms, it nurtures brand identity and fosters customer relationships.
Challenge won if the tea caddy becomes a popular gift item or even a collector’s item.
What traditional tea groups don’t like to hear or accept:
A cool and stylish caddy quickly makes up for any deficiencies in content – at least when it comes to sales figures.
Not to mention the possible higher selling price.
3. The importance of a unique caddy design of high recognition value
A perfectly designed caddy stands above all and can easily become your brand’s flagship!
Craft or choose a caddy design that stands out, creating an unmistakable identity. High recognition value ensures that your brand remains etched in the minds of tea enthusiasts.
Help your customers with emotional and esthetical photographs staging the caddy, showing the lifestyle factor and worth of your product.
Arouse your customers’ desires – even with the “after-life-uses-ideas” of your caddy.
Make them proudly love your shit!
4. Form follows function – form creates function: The importance of functional and practical caddy design
Prioritize a caddy design that harmonizes esthetics with functionality, that is practical in use and easy to handle – even with one hand!
Easy to open and to close, coupled with the ability to store a substantial amount of tea, contained in one packaging unit from your supplier. 1 kg in most of the cases for tea shop’s caddies.
Don’t forget this important aspect for caddies as end customer packaging:
The product must remain affordable for your customers and must not be priced unsuitable as a gift.
You should pay particular attention to this with regard to expensive grand crus and adjust the filling quantity accordingly.
And also ensure that a certain filling level is required by law.
However, “cheating packages” can not only have legal consequences, they also quickly lead to digital shitstorms that are difficult to rectify. Due to the different fluffiness or voluminousness of your tea ingredients, you will not be able to avoid having different filling quantities for your caddies.
5. The importance of airtight and aroma-sealed caddies
An extremely important feature your caddy should point with is aroma tightness.
It goes without saying: Proper and aroma-protected tea storage is a must – essential so that customers can trust you and your products and can experience the full taste and scent of your teas.
No need to mention: It’s mandatory to store tea properly in order not to lose credibility in the quality of your products as well as in you as a tea expert. And just by that the full taste and scent of your teas can be experienced by your client.
It always amazes me what kind of “rattling boxes” well-known manufacturers use to deliver their flavor-unprotected teas to customers.
Always offer fresh and good-smelling tea.
Clients must be overwhelmed when opening the caddy’s lid: your tea never gets a second chance to make a first impression!
Have a look at the seals and closures when choosing your caddy – it’s one of the essential points!
Same if you craft your own design: Carefully plan the lid and seals. The producer will support you with his huge background of knowledge.
Example for a functional sealing
6. Select and customize the right caddy model from your tin supplier
Choose a caddy model from your tin supplier that aligns with your brand vision.
And of course that meets all the requirements:
- extraordinary design with “that certain something”
- not the “everyone has” off the shelf model
- high recognition value
- highly giftable (if intended for end customers)
- practical to use and easy to handle
- One-handed operation possible
- airtight and aroma-sealed
- customizable through design adjustment by the producer
- customizable with your own logos or labels
Last point is very important if choosing prefabricated models:
The pre-produced tea caddy has to be customizable with your brand’s colors, logo, and labels to create a harmonious visual narrative.
Depending on the design, multicolor, and quantity, the adjustment can vary in complexity and cost. But it’s worth it in any case.
First, you should look for the right model online. If you find one interesting or at least an interesting supplier, go in contact.
And a tip on the side: Often suppliers have more to offer than shown in catalogs.
Ask the supplier for possibilities and costs to customize:
- colors
- logo prints
- prints of brand and product information
- embossings (which are of course very noble)
- additional improvements in aroma tightness
7. Design your own branded caddy labels
Labels are the “a and o” for easily customizing your caddy.
I prefer using magnet foil labels for caddies in tea stores or tea rooms.
Those are printable as any other label and have valuable advantages:
- easy to stick
- easy to remove
- easy to change
- no glue residues
Create special magnet foil labels to highlight additional information on your caddies, such as:
- tea categories
- special offer
- tea of the month
- organic product
- flavored
- stomach-friendly
- seasonal and holiday stickers
Design your own labels to add a personal touch to each caddy – it is really affordable.
When it comes to caddies for end customers, printed labels are a cost-effective alternative to printed caddies, which are only affordable for larger quantities.
Admittedly extremely classy, these have the major disadvantage of not being able to be changed once produced in large quantities.
And believe me: There are always reasons and needs for changes! Be it changes to the brand strategy, the content composition, new legal requirements or even requirements from warnings.
Two possibilities occur:
- Customize your caddy during production with basics such as your own closure or embossed logo, and customize everything else with printed labels
- You customize an „off the shelf“ caddy with labels only (for lid and body)
Customizing a caddy with printed labels is the cheapest and most flexible possibility but also capable of achieving presentable results!
If you go for that you should make sure about the print quality.
UV and water resistance are an absolute must, especially for labels with the desired paper feel.
I have had bad experiences with labels that were immediately smeared by small drops of water or were completely faded after just a few weeks in Mediterranean shop windows. It’s a horror when pictures of those Caddies are online (and stay).
Printing companies offer you really affordable prints of very good quality. Your own label printers are relatively expensive to purchase and maintain. I have had good experiences with Epson and AstroNova models. But it’s only really worth it for large quantities.
If that is the case for you, labeling machines are also interesting. Here too, I have had good experiences with really affordable machines from China.
Production abroad or in the Far East is certainly a big step for many. Many people are afraid of the reliability, trustworthiness and competence of the respective company. But especially before the possible susceptibility of the machine to errors, the support in the event of a warranty claim and the possible loss of the deposit.
It is precisely for this reason that I have recently been working with an absolutely reliable German-Italian–Chinese company when it comes to packaging and packaging machines – and always with perfect results.
The advantages are great:
- cheap prices
- project discussion in the local language or at least English
- perfect coordination of planning
- perfect implementation of the designs
- absolute reliability
- great focus on customer satisfaction
- knowledge of the requirements of our market (including sustainability aspects)
- knowledge of our legal requirements
- creation of prototypes and interim models
- contract according to national (European) law uncomplicated on-site service during setup and in the event of a warranty claim
- greater protection of intellectual property through special agreements
8. Design and produce your own perfect caddy
very own tea caddy design is definitely the absolute premier class that sets you apart from the competition.
For me it was relatively easy to create designs with all the specifications for the production of tinplate goods that could also be implemented successfully 1:1 in China.
In general, each of you should be able to create at least a preliminary plan suitable for tea can production if you have previously familiarized yourself a little with the manufacturing methods of tinplate cans, flanging, embossing and closure and sealing systems.
The producer’s planning team then takes care of the rest.
If you are a little familiar with the processing of sheet metal, you can roughly estimate what is technically possible and can, among other things, use flanging of different colored sheets to create accents on your Caddy.
I often plan to use lasered inlays or logo chips made from other materials (wood, plastic or metal) to be glued on the caddy – for me this has an even more elegant effect than embossing. A combination of both is of course the design maximum.
A trustworthy partner is of course also important here. If you do not yet have good and reliable contacts abroad, a company with a branch in Europe can be helpful. This company offers a contract in accordance with European law.
As already mentioned, this is also an advantage in terms of your brand protection.
This is not least also interesting with regard to brand protection.
Produce your Caddy under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with your producer and, for larger projects, protect your design as a registered design in the countries you currently or intend to supply in the near future.
In Europe, we recommend registering an EU trademark, which is then valid for the entire EU. Please note, however, that your design protection does not apply in Great Britain or Switzerland, for example.
You can find out how to protect the design of your Caddy throughout Europe at the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
The legal protection of your design is relatively inexpensive and can even be subsidized by up to 75% for small and medium-sized companies.
I have already experienced unprotected intellectual property being registered by third parties and the actual owner being banned from further use. Worse still, you may even be charged for lost profits or brand damage based on your sales of the design stolen from you.
So take building your brand and your brand kit seriously – both in terms of design and protection.
9. Affordable exclusivity and excellence: the branded caddy
Constantly honing brand perfection ensures that your brand is not only seen, but also remains anchored in your customers.
Every detail counts and your brand caddy is the best representative and ambassador of your tea business, whether retail or online.
It’s not just about storing tea; This vessel combines the entire diversity and essence of your brand and passes it on to your customers in just as many ways.
Elevate your tea business to new heights with your own branded caddy – your symbol for your brand, enjoyment, taste, quality and lifestyle.
I sincerely wish the tea world to be enriched by your fresh designs and implementations.
Let the dusty and boring become more and more history!
