“The goal was to target a market that wasn't being targeted,” says Vanderpool, a longtime tea drinker herself. “Everyone thinks of ladies with hats sitting around drinking tea, or the medicinal qualities of tea, so I wanted to develop something fun that would appeal to a younger market.”
According to Todd Baer, creative director, Baer Design Group, the illustrations help to convey a contemporary vibe. “We really took this rebel approach with progressive graphics for a food item,” he says. The B.F.F. blend, for example, shows two girls on a moped. “It's a case of going against the grain and being an individual.”
Each blend is packaged in a custom-made tin measuring 4”Wx4”Hx4”D. “It's a perfect cube,” says Vanderpool. “There isn't a tin of its size and shape on the shelf currently.” The tins will contain 6 oz of tea for four of the blends and 2.5 oz of tea for the white tea blend (Shhh). The tins are manufactured and printed in China, and will be shipped to a contract packager in Canada. Vanderpool declined to provide the suppliers or additional details about the packaging. The product has a two-year shelf life and will be packed in a plastic bag and sealed with a plastic tie to preserve freshness. Once packaged, the tins will be sealed with a tamper-evident seal.
Lazy Days Tea Co. products are Fair Trade certified and organic. The suggested retail price ranges between $14.25 and $17.25 per tin. All five flavors are expected to hit store shelves in the near future.
After multiple tasting parties, Vanderpool came up with five tea blends and turned to Baer Design Group (www.baerdesign.com) to develop copy, names, and individual icons for each flavor. The final names—Cup-O-Jane, Go Man Go, B.F.F. (Best Friends Forever), High-5, and Shhh—as well as the images and colors associated with the individual blends give each tea a unique character.
