The audit pointed to a clear direction. “In ready-to-drink tea, everything is premium and in PET or glass bottles,” says Dylan Spencer, Admiral Iced Tea brand manager. “Our idea was to bring an ultra-premium item to that subsegment of the ready-to-drink iced tea aisle in a 24-oz can with a worldly design and a premium look.”
Hansen Beverage, working with its supply chain, developed a stunningly decorated, two-piece, 24-oz can, from Rexam Beverage Can America. Hansen Beverage selected a can because there was only one existing ready-to-drink tea brand in a can.
Admiral Iced Tea is made from tea leaves sourced in India, England, and the Pacific Rim, locations that served as the inspiration for the exquisitely detailed graphic design and razor-sharp printing on the cans. The brand’s core audience is 15- to 35-year-old consumers. “They’re saying they want something more sophisticated,” Spencer explains. “Some of the more sophisticated students will see these cans and say, ‘Gee, this is a much better value, at 99 cents, based on the look of the can.’ Tea is worldly, and if our tea comes from other places, let’s let our consumer know that.”
