In the vast sea of shopping uniformity, making your small business stand out is vital. Differentiating your small business doesn’t have to be difficult. A 5,000-year-old drink is an easy way to help you get a leg up on your competitors. A simple cup of tea can help your business stand out from the crowd.
Although most of the tea consumed in the US is iced, a hot cup can be a simple and effective way to help customers remember and return to your business. Tea has experienced a renaissance and is more popular than ever. Health problems are among the main reasons for its growing popularity. Tea is the most popular drink in the world (aside from water). Even in the US, it is the sixth most popular drink, behind water, soft drinks, coffee, beer and milk.
Offering new and different varieties can help customers remember your business. If you are thinking of offering or increasing the selection, your first question may be about the types of tea to serve. Ideally, serve a few varieties, including a black, flavored black, herbal, green, and decaf tea. At a minimum offer one type of black tea, a breakfast variety is good any time of day. Most of the tea consumed in the US is black tea, with the two most popular types being English Breakfast and Earl Grey.
If you have an Irish pub, serve authentic Irish tea. Maybe Barry’s or Punjana, both of which are still produced in Ireland. If you run a health-oriented restaurant, try Rooibos, which is herbal and the latest to be popular with tea drinkers. Rooibos, also known as red tea, is an herb unique to the Cedarburg Mountains of South Africa. Rooibos is brewed red in color and has a unique sweet nutty flavor.
Have a coffee with a Russian or French accent? Then try PM Kousmichoff & Sons, or Kusmi Tea, which dates back to 1867 in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is the only old tea firm that continues to make the original Russian blends of the last century. Today, the product is produced in France. Kusmi still comes in the original pre-Russian Bolshevik revolution packaging. All products come in English and French packaging.
do you serve indian food So Dilmah would be a good choice. This brand will be a new experience for almost all of its customers. Dilmah is entirely grown, hand-selected and bottled in Ceylon, Sri Lanka, producer of the best tea in the world. It is fresh, rich and full of flavor. The tea is a good introduction for new tea drinkers.
Does your business have a Scottish focus? Then serve Scottish Blend, which was introduced in 1990 and is among Scotland’s favorite tea brands. Scottish Blend was launched as the first specially blended tea for Scotland. By 1998 Scottish Blend had become Scotland’s number 2 tea brand.
Do you have a uniquely American coffee? Find a local artisan tea company. With the resurgence of tea, artisan products are springing up in many communities.
Even if you own a bookstore or other retail business, you can use different brands as themes throughout the year. Before St. Patrick’s Day, serve up some authentic Irish tea.
Before choosing and serving a brand or variety of tea, try a few and decide which tastes best. Maybe even have some of your employees try the teas. Offering brands that customers cannot easily obtain locally. This makes for a new experience for your customers and differentiates your business. You can also offer to sell the teas to customers.
You can get the tea from some specialty retailers and on the Internet. When you buy the tea, try to do some cross promotion in exchange for a discount.
Differentiating your business can go a long way in making it a memorable customer experience and ensuring a return trip.