SerendipiTea’s Global Tea Championship Awards Improve Sales

SerendipiTea was an outlier in the recent Global Tea Championship Single Serve Hot and Iced Small Batch competition, winning seven awards for various flavors. “We were really surprised and thrilled; it’s very exciting,” said Linda Villano, co-founder and president of SerendipiTea. The Manhasset, New York-based company has entered teas in the Global Tea Championship in the past and has won a number of awards, but this is the most it has won at once for any competition. Villano said the variety of categories in the competition gave her the opportunity to share the myriad of tea blends her company has to offer.

“It helps to communicate our scope to prospective and existing customers. It helps our customers, as well.” Villano submitted a selection of best-selling teas, as well as some good teas that get less attention. Villano said winning these awards does have a positive impact on sales and marketing, as the awards inspire people to look a little closer at the company’s offerings. It also helps SerendipiTea’s clients narrow down their choices and communicate the quality and characteristics of the teas to their customers. Founded in 1995, the company has 12 people and continues to maintain an artisanal mindset. Villano comes up with the recipes and then everything is small-batch blended by hand. The majority of the tea is loose leaf; there is also a line of single-serve tea sachets and larger portions of tea meant for iced tea in foodservice. SerendipiTea’s teas are certified organic and certified Kosher, with one exception. Lili’Uokalani has an organic tea base, but the natural flavoring is not certified organic. However, it is Kosher.

Regarding formulating new tea flavors, Villano said, “We’re playing with some more white blends. We’re bringing a more broken leaf paimutan in and that will make it easier for us to work with some more of the blending aspects.” Villano has observed a tremendous growth trend in the U.S. tea industry. She remarked on how much more knowledge there is pertaining to camellia senensis. “It’s truly incredible how much interest and how much market share tea has now and it’s getting younger and younger.” She added, “There’s no end to the creativity that’s out there.” “I am very grateful that the Global Tea Championship exists,” Villano said. “It provides an egalitarian opportunity for all tea companies, large, medium and small to participate and potentially shine.” Villano plans to continue to submit her teas to future Global Tea Championship competitions. SerendipiTea’s winning teas in the last competition: Red Oz won Gold in the Blended Rooibos Category under Small Batch Iced. Coconutty Nilsson won Silver in the Flavored Green Category under Small Batch Iced. Lili'Uokalani won Silver in the Flavored Black Category under Small Batch Iced. PuErh won Silver in the PuErh/Dark Tea Category under Single Serve Hot. Ginger won Silver in the Herbal Category under Single Serve Hot. White Peach won Silver in the White Flavored Category under Single Serve Hot. Jasmine Green won Judges Choice. The 2018 Global Fall Hot (Loose Leaf) Tea Championship is March 24-25! Click here for information.