by: Jessica Sanchez, Editor, The Dieline
When I saw the launch of Teavana® Oprah Chai at Starbucks, there were three immediate things I had to do: 1. Look at the packaging, inside and out. The textures, the colors, structure, and the collection as a whole; 2. Text my team and tell them about this packaging, which they had already seen and wanted to know more information about; 3. Try the tea itself. The tea was spectacular, and the packaging was as welll!
We later found out about our local Teavana® Tea Shop in Beverly Hills and decided to attend the opening. We received more insight on Teavana® Tea, the new shops opening in major metropolitan cities across the country, and more information about this first-of-its-kind collaboration with Oprah. We did a Behind the Design article in the past with Daniele Monti, the VP of Creative - Teavana® and Emerging Brands at Starbucks Coffee Company, and reached out to him about this collaboration and the involvement he had creating the packaging with none other then Oprah herself. We all know Oprah is an unabashed chai tea lover, she swears by her Chai. If you ever watch OWN you know her rituals with chai tea, so it only made sense that a collaboration like this would emerge.
Like everything Oprah does it was important to have her signature look and feel. Daniele explains his involvement with the packaging, the details and how this is not simply a product endorsement. Oprah was really passionate about making this tea and making a difference in communities. Starbucks will make a donation for each Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea product sold in participating Starbucks and Teavana stores, to benefit educational opportunities for youth through the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation
Teavana Oprah Chai:
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Starbucks and Oprah Winfrey co-created Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea, which is available in participating Starbucks and Teavana stores in the U.S. Working with Teavana’s leading teaologist Naoko Tsunoda, Oprah personally developed her own distinctive blend of tea. The new Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea features a bold infusion of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves, blended with loose-leaf black tea and rooibos. As part of this new core offering, Starbucks makes a donation for each Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea product sold in participating Starbucks and Teavana stores, to benefit educational opportunities for youth through the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation.
For more about the partnership and product, please visit: http://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-and-oprah-winfrey-come-together-to-create-teavana-oprah-chai-tea.
For more about the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation and benefiting charities, please visit: http://www.oprah.com/app/steep-your-soul.html.