Great news! A boutique tea brand from London, UK, contacted Longine to request custom-made, high-quality tea packaging bags for its newly launched Oriental Tea series. After several rounds of communication, Longine provided the client with an octagonal-sealed, zipper-lock tea packaging solution.
Client Background
This client primarily sells premium loose-leaf tea to European specialty supermarkets, independent tea shops, and online membership channels. Their product range includes Earl Grey black tea, jasmine green tea, oolong tea, and herbal and fruit-infused teas, among other series.
With the continuous growth of online orders, the client has set higher standards for packaging seal integrity, shelf display appeal, and transport stability. The standard composite bags previously used were prone to issues such as insufficient bag support, slight curling of the seal edges, and diminished tea aroma after prolonged storage. Additionally, color variations between different batches affected the brand’s overall display presentation.
Octagonal-Sealed Zipper Structure Enhances Packaging Quality and Stability
Aligning with the client’s product positioning, this packaging adopts the octagonal-sealed flat-bottom pouch structure, which is currently popular in the premium tea market. Compared to standard stand-up pouches, the octagonal-sealed packaging offers a more three-dimensional profile. Once filled with tea, the pouch stands upright naturally, ensuring a more stable shelf display and better aligning with the high-end tea brand’s positioning.
The top of the tea packaging bags features a food-grade zipper closure, allowing consumers to reseal the bag repeatedly after the initial opening, which helps preserve the tea’s aroma and dryness.
To distinguish between different tea series, the client customized the following:
- Matte black black tea packaging bags
- Pearlescent white jasmine green tea packaging bags
- Glossy rose red floral and fruit tea packaging bags
- Cream-colored Oolong tea packaging bags
- Bright green herbal tea packaging bags
Some series also feature transparent viewing windows, allowing consumers to directly observe the condition and color of the tea leaves, thereby enhancing the product’s visual appeal.
Customized for various capacities based on different sales specifications
Considering that the client operates both online retail and specialty supermarket channels, this packaging was customized in multiple tea bag packaging sizes.
The final production quantities include:
- 250g gusseted zipper tea bags: 6,000 units
- 500g large-capacity tea bags: 4,000 units
- 100g small-size sample bags: 10,000 units
- Individual inner packaging pouches: 20,000 units
Specifically, the 250g size is primarily intended for sale in local specialty supermarkets in the UK; the 500g large-capacity bags are for bulk purchases by cafes and tea houses; and the small-size sample bags are mainly used for online membership subscriptions and new product promotions.
Detailed Structural Design of Tea Packaging Bags
To meet the UK market’s requirements for premium tea packaging, this project has been optimized in multiple details.
High-barrier composite material enhances aroma retention
The custom tea bag packaging utilizes a PET/AL/PE high-barrier composite structure, which effectively reduces the ingress of air and moisture, helping the tea retain its original aroma and flavor.
For the Earl Grey and herbal tea series, the aluminum foil barrier layer was specifically reinforced to minimize aroma loss during long-term storage.
Octagonal Seam Structure Enhances Load-Bearing Capacity
Compared to standard stand up pouches, the octagonal seam structure provides greater stability at the base after filling. Even when filled with heavier tea, the pouch maintains good structural support and is less prone to deformation.
This structure is particularly suitable for long-term display on specialty retail shelves.
More Reliable Zipper Sealing
The client placed particular emphasis on the consumer’s experience with repeated opening and closing, so we adopted a wider, food-grade zipper design. After multiple opening and closing tests, the seal remained effective, helping to minimize moisture absorption by the tea.
Seam Strength Optimized for Long-Distance Sea Freight
Considering that the product would be shipped by sea to the UK and then distributed to warehouses across Europe, we reinforced the side and bottom heat-seals to improve overall load-bearing capacity and transport stability.
Multiple rounds of adjustments from prototyping to mass production
Prior to formal production, the client had high standards for packaging color and surface finish, necessitating multiple rounds of sample approval.
Key adjustments included:
- Performance of matte and glossy finishes
- Color stability under different lighting conditions
- Zipper opening resistance testing
- Heat-seal temperature stability testing
- Three-dimensional display effect after tea filling
- Bag stability after long-term storage
Additionally, to minimize color variation issues during subsequent mass production, we standardized and documented the printing parameters to ensure consistency across different batches.
Ultimately, the entire batch of custom tea bag packaging was produced within 45 days of final approval and successfully shipped to the UK.
Longine Offers a Variety of Custom Tea Bag Packaging Services
Currently, Longine provides custom tea bag packaging solutions in various specifications and structures, including:
Octagonal-sealed tea packaging bags
Stand-up zipper tea packaging bags
Aluminum foil high-barrier tea bags
Kraft paper tea bags
Tea bags with transparent windows
Small-sized sample bags for tea packaging
Automatic packaging roll film materials
We offer customization options for size, material, thickness, color, printing, and surface finishes, and can provide packaging recommendations tailored to different tea products. Please feel free to contact us for more tea packaging samples and customization support.
