One design trend taking prominence in 2019

The move of craft products into the mainstream, with big brands claiming craft heritage.

Blend design at Tetley

Blend design implies picking up on consumer trends and translating them into magical beverage moments, as the trends are just about to become mainstream. We cannot be ahead of the trend curve — too early to market, but we need to be agile enough to respond to trends as they gain momentum.

Favourite blend from Tetley

Tetley Extra Strong, the classic breakfast black tea, which is a blend of the best teas from Africa and the malty full-bodied Assam teas.

Is design today more about form or function?

Consumers are more attracted to form now than ever before. However, if the tea does not function as a great tasting beverage, then form is irrelevant; repeat buying decisions are driven primarily by consumers loving the taste of a product rather than the form.

Personal design mantra

Do not be constrained by the past or what competition is doing; keep your eyes open across sectors and across the globe, as new trends are emerging in non-traditional areas.

Personal benchmark in design

British fashion designer Paul Smith has been relevant for years.

Design strength of TGBL

The key is having a multiple supply partners ecosystem and combining our expertise with those of our key supply partners to deliver products that none of us could do by ourselves. We identified an opportunity to develop cold brew products for the UK market from a variety of sources in our network which included retailers, market research agencies and supply partners. These products have created a whole new category in the tea sector, with sales far exceeding our expectations.

Design philosophy for 2019

We need to be open to ideas from non-traditional sources and listen to both millennials and generation Z, as their spending power increases.

—Arushi Agrawal & Namrata Narasimhan