How Society Tea brewed the perfect brand success
From one’s morning cuppa to afternoon breaks to shake off the slumber to refreshing one’s evening along with some deep fried snacks or enjoying the first rains with spicy pakodas – a piping hot cup of tea is what one craves for, especially in a chai-obsessed country like India. Talk of tea always takes one to the lush green tea estates, either in Assam, Darjeeling or Ooty or the Nilgiris; and talk over tea can lead to many a successful deals – be it business or of a personal nature.
Be it branded and packaged teas or those sold loose in brown paper bags in various specialty tea outlets, the beverage is a staple of Indian households.
Society Tea has been able to carve a name for itself as a premium tea brand and is the market leader in the tea category in Maharashtra with around 40 per cent market share of packaged tea in the state. The brand has also built up considerable presence in states such as Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chennai, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi. The brand has also introduced its new range of Dairy Products, One Minute Tea and Instant Tea (Premix).
The Origins
Society Tea started its journey (before it was even called by that name) in Masjid Bunder’s Chai Galli – the street that was Maharashtra’s source of tea, with traders coming in from across the state to purchase tea to sell locally. It was here that Society Tea’s founder, Hiravan Pranjivan Das, started out as a tea wholesaler in 1924.
Apart from being a large supplier for local customers, Das also firmly engraved his roots in the international tea trade, trading with Middle Eastern countries on a very large scale. In 1933, with a view of selling to the Mumbai citizens as well, Das started Hasmukhrai & Co, with its first shop in Kalbadevi.
By the late 80’s, Hasmukhrai & Co had become the market leader in the tea industry in Mumbai. However, sensing that the customer would prefer convenience and would change traditional tea buying patterns, Hasmukhrai & Co launched tea in a packet form in 1991, which was available across retailers in Mumbai and later Maharashtra, in the name of Society Tea.
Betting on Blue
Tracing the brand’s journey, Shah remarked that his father (Atul Shah) had made a huge bet 25 years ago when he decided to adopt blue as the packaging colour for Society Tea. “Market research dictated the colour of packaging to be red, green or yellow, but my father decided to ignore the research and painted Society Tea blue as the market was cluttered with shades of red and green, and he wanted his new brand to stand out naturally.”
He added, “Consumers immediately recall Society Tea because of the distinct recall value of our blue kettle and cups. For a private and regional brand like ours, that’s a huge achievement.”
Over the years, Society Tea has carved a niche for itself in the country as well as internationally as a brand with an impeccable sense of taste. As Shah shared, “Society Tea has continually combined quality with innovation to produce teas that retain both their fragrant aroma and exceptional taste. Distinctively packed, Society Tea consists of the finest premium blend of teas produced and has consistently been backed by an innovative advertising campaign and a strong distribution network ensuring that the product reaches you with its values intact.”
Quality has been at the core of Society Tea and to ensure this consistent quality, three members of Shah’s family have dedicated their lives as full time tea tasters. “This is also one of the reasons why we cannot match the media spends of other tea brands,” Shah said. And this is the reason why the brand has never brought on board a brand ambassador as it believes that the product is the best marketing tool.
Shah further said, “Our quest for better quality extends to our new range of Dairy Products, One Minute Tea and Instant Tea (Premix). To manufacture high quality tea and dairy products, we have set up a plant in Vadodara (Gujarat). This plant is one of India’s most advanced, with completely automated milk and soluble tea processing units. These products are manufactured under strict hygienic standards to meet the high levels of quality and excellence. We see this new range as the products of the future.”
Keeping a brand unique is a tough proposition in a highly competitive market. However, Society Tea has forged a special place for itself in the consumer mindspace. Speaking on this, Shah elaborated, “Today, Society Tea is a regional heavyweight, much like the very red Wagh Bakri in Gujarat, which, like Society Tea, has managed to keep at bay bigger players like Hindustan Unilever and Tata Global Beverages. Despite stiff competition from their brands such as Taj Mahal, Tata Tea, Brooke Bond Red Label and Taaza, and a host of other sub-brands, Society Tea has maintained its leadership in Maharashtra with a 40 per cent market share.”
On the brand’s presence in the Southern markets, Shah said that the perception about South Indian market preferring coffee is not true. He added, “During my personal visit, I have seen as many, if not less, tea stalls just like in Mumbai city. We have presence in Bangalore and are continuously expanding. E-commerce players are also helping us foray into the Southern markets.”
Brewing a well-planned marketing mix
Though he refrained from disclosing about the revenue earnings, Shah said, “We promise to make an all-out effort to delight our customers with new products and make our presence felt in their day to day lives.”
Unified by Tea
At the start of this year, Society Tea embarked on a brand campaign – ‘The Tea Society Called India – that celebrated the unifying and proudly home-grown tea drinking culture across the length and breadth of our country. To essay a wonderful human interest brand story campaign idea, the right set of photographers and filmmakers were handpicked for lyrical, ‘documentary’ style of photography and film.
The Tea Society Called India campaign features photography mavens – Palani Mohan, a Hong Kong based award-winning photographer, and Rakesh Haridas, whose Instagram feed showcases a truly unique style of photography. These mavens covered the length and breadth of India, right from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and Meghalaya to Mumbai. This human interest campaign was spearheaded by Sachin Pillai, a young director with film production company, Epitome.
The brand campaign was conceptualised by Sukumar Menon, who heads the BlackSwanLife team.
Elaborating on the ideology behind The Tea Society Called India campaign, Shah explained, “The idea of this passionate campaign emerged serendipitously from the brand name itself, Society Tea. The intent with this campaign is to celebrate the tea drinking culture across the length and breadth of India. Society Tea has always strived to maintain a consistent quality with infallible taste. Our travels whilst executing this campaign across several regions in India is testimony to our passion for quality. The campaign is a perfect amalgamation of people who are unique and diverse as it perfectly captures our brand footprint across incredible India.”
Adding further, he said, “If there is one thread that binds us unequivocally as a nation, one ritual that symbolises unity in diversity, and one language that transcends regional distinctiveness, it is our love of tea. Being innately Indian is synonymous with starting the day with a steaming cup of chai. Be it a time held, homemade recipe, or the special chai of the ever-dependent tapir chaiwallah around the bend near the office building, tea is constant in our lives.”
“Society Tea has always been invested in the cause of charity. The Tea Society Called India campaign gave us an opportunity to go back to our roots. Through this campaign, we are hopeful of reaching out to underprivileged children, deprived women and others neglected by the society, who will get to see a better day because of the support,” he added.
The road ahead
Society Tea intends to continue with The Tea Society Called India campaign which will evolve with more memorabilia that shares the story of the tea drinking culture in India, followed by exhibitions and events of various genres.
Shah concluded by highlighting the three-pronged focus areas for Society Tea going forward:
- Increase product range
- Grow and expand distribution points
- Continue delighting the customers
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