Two westerners went to Singapore to look for tea, and TWG tea stepped out of the East and entered the world.

Even though the consumption and production of tea in Asia is relatively large, tea brands lack international popularity. Two Westerners went to Singapore to find tea and set up a brand, hoping to reverse the situation.

Taha Bouqdib, a Moroccan-born Frenchman, and Maranda Barnes, an American, founded TWG Tea in 2008, hoping to bring Asian brands of black tea to the world.

In May, TWG Tea opened a 653-square-meter flagship store in Leicester Square, the home of London's theatres and restaurants, with noodles decorated in yellow, with about 800 different products and mainly black tea. The connected teahouse offers tea and desserts, adding to the upscale atmosphere.

The flagship store is at the vanguard of TWG Tea's global push, with half of its buyers from outside the UK and 3-4, 000 visitors at the end of each week. For example, a Mexican woman in her 30s is very impressed by the items in the store and plans to bring several products home.

Boldly attack Britain with a deep black tea culture

TWG Tea has made a bold foray into the UK, where it has a strong afternoon tea culture, opening two stores in the UK, and it believes that setting up boutique stores in important tourist attractions will help raise its global profile.

Singapore was chosen as the base because of its proximity to major tea producers and its active trading economy. Its tea is produced in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, China and other countries, while blending and packaging are carried out in Singapore. In addition, Singapore is also a place where it is easy to collect information and handle business.

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Twey expanded to Japan in 2010, followed by China and Southeast Asia. It now has 70 teahouses and stores in 19 countries, mainly in Asia. The store is located in upscale areas such as Tokyo Ginza and Maruchi. The piles of yellow tea cans in the store are also important attractions.

Twey is directly responsible for sales in Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, where sales reached $65.3 million last year alone. Twey does not disclose global sales figures.

Ten years after its establishment, Tevy plans to further expand overseas markets, especially in Europe and North America. Twey has set up a site in the British boutique Harrods since 2009; now it has decided that the time is ripe and has decided to open two separate stores in London and plans to open one or two more stores this year. At the same time, it also plans to enter France and the Netherlands within three years.

The secret of rapid growth

In addition to the rich mid-price products, Twey's rapid growth can also be attributed to its marketing strategy, that is, to design packaging and teahouses from a boutique point of view.

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Budibi's goal is to provide customers with high-quality and affordable experiences and products. "you can be our customer for less than $10," he says. Our niche is aimed at customers looking for good food and good experiences. "

Black tea is deeply rooted in British and European culture, and the market is crowded; according to Euromonitor International, a British research firm, competition between Lipton (which belongs to Unilever and has the highest market share) and Tang Ning (second in the market) is fierce. But Budibi believes that Asia, with its profound tea culture and expertise, does have the ability to compete in such an environment.

The challenge is to maintain growth and quality at the same time. In this regard, Twey opened the Twey Tea Research Center in Singapore last month to provide training in tea tasting, boutique service and communication for more than 3000 employees around the world.

Barnes, who leads corporate communication and business development, said, "as we continue to expand the UK, Japan, Taiwan and Yi Jianlian markets and set foot in new markets such as India and Qatar, the Tea Research Center will also help maintain our long-term growth. "

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Twey's goal is to enter every major city in the world in the next decade.