Ahmad Tea Director Dr Ali Afshar on gifting the love of tea

Can you tell us the story behind Ahmad Tea and how it has evolved over the years?

Ahmad Tea began as a dream, experienced by our Honorary Chairman, the late Professor A.H. Ganjavian. The family, having a history within tea trading, soon embarked upon a journey with the opening of a small tea shop in Hampshire, England. From there, the dream became a global reality.

Naturally, the brand and our product range have evolved with the times. In the last five years, consumers globally have shown a great interest in products that can support their wellbeing, and we have successfully launched our Natural Benefits range of fortified teas, along with a selection of decaffeinated teas.

As consumers are looking to make healthy choices, tea gifts are also gaining popularity. Interestingly though, this is not new to Ahmad Tea. We’ve been passionate about and packing tea gifts for over 25 years.

What are some of the key consumer segments you focus on globally, and how do these differ across regions?

Globally, mass, standardised consumption is being replaced by a growing desire to make careful, thoughtful purchases of higher-quality, premium products.

The new status symbol is mindful, health-orientated consumption. Consumers tend to value a brand that shows them where their tea has come from, the people who made it and how a company like Ahmad Tea is giving back to the people and communities it serves.

Our Ahmad Tea target audience is defined by a state of mind and set of values rather than a specific age, gender or income. We define them as ‘Pleasure Seekers’.

They’re open-minded, energetic, ambitious and like to seek out new tastes, experiences and products because it’s these things that add more pleasure to life. They like creative brands who surprise them and bring something different. Quality is important as they are knowledgeable about ingredients and often seek perfection. They are motivated by great flavour and for them, this is one of the most important aspects of drinking tea. They are thoughtful and are drawn to brands who have a strong purpose.

We further segment and target by focusing on:

• ‘Enhancing Taste’ with product-led comms in order to drive familiarity (e.g. Dialing up the health benefits of green teas, infusions etc for the health conscious)
• ‘Culture’ focusing on the tea-drinking occasions (e.g. with milk, loose teas etc)
• Our sustainable impact, with the ethical upgraders who are interested to know where tea comes from, is it ethically sourced and how we do good.

What are some USPs that set Ahmad Tea apart from competitors in the fine foods category?

An obsession with taste. It’s in our DNA. We don’t produce anything other than tea.

Our founder Rahim Afshar also plays a key role.

We don’t compromise on quality. As a testament to that, we’ve gained over 60 ‘Great Taste’ stars over recent years (from the UK-based Guild of Fine Food).

With sustainability becoming more important to consumers, how do you see Ahmad Tea’s commitment to ethical sourcing influencing purchasing decisions in travel retail?

Earlier this year, we won the King’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. This is the highest honour a company can receive and reflects years of genuine dedication to sustainability.

We’re one of our industry’s leaders in this area, and work on several fronts, including reducing the living wage gap for tea growers. Our mission is to improve lives through tea, and I hope that buyers and consumers recognise that, when choosing Ahmad Tea, they’re choosing more than just a great-tasting cup of tea.

Your charitable programmes, including ChariTea, emphasise giving back to communities. How do these initiatives resonate with customers?

Our commitment to giving back, philanthropy and environmental sustainability is shared with consumers through our ‘Infused with Impact’ platform.

Our initiatives resonate strongly with consumers, especially younger ones, who rightly expect and demand brands to do more. This has always been part of our company mission, which is “improving lives through tea”.

How does Ahmad Tea tailor its packaging and product presentation to make tea an attractive gifting option in travel retail? And what are your ambitions in terms of visibility and distribution in the channel?

We offer three categories of products for travel retail: gifts, souvenirs and everyday tea. We’ve been operating successfully in travel retail for over 25 years, so we’ve learnt along the way what works and what doesn’t.

There’s definitely a sweet spot in terms of size and price that consumers are looking for. Much of what we offer is packaged in beautifully decorated tins, as these can be kept after the tea is enjoyed and generate great perceived value.

Our souvenir range includes both global and bespoke country travel lines. And our everyday teas range from classic black teas to our Natural Benefits range of fortified herbal teas. Something for everyone.

Tea is the world’s favourite drink after water and offers immense gifting potential. Without giving too much away in terms of our strategy, I’d say that we want to see Ahmad Tea replicate the success it’s had in London, in other major global travel hubs.

For a family-run business, what does a good travel retail partnership look like? How can retailers help enhance the appeal of the fine foods category to travellers?

Family-run businesses like ours have two advantages. First, we plan for the long term which means we’re prepared to invest and be patient in opportunities that we truly believe in, like tea gifting.

Second, we’re agile – you deal with the decision makers and things can be turned around quickly. So, a good trade retail partnership is when we have a shared vision and an entrepreneurial spirit.

What can we expect from Ahmad Tea at the TFWA World Exhibition this year? Are there any new products or innovations you’re particularly excited about?

We’ll be showcasing [Green Village, L39] a number of new ranges and lines, which are all a first in our category. For instance, our recently launched Tea Bouquet range. With its standout designs and multiple formats, the Tea Bouquet assortment has already been really well received by markets around the world.