Wild Himalayan Mountain Tea A collaboration with Tergar Charity Nepal to create a gob-chi berry tea blend and bespoke luxury packaging. Project supported by UN Development Programme.

OverviewThis project was a collaboration between TEALEAVES and Tergar Charity Nepal, with the goal of improving the livelihood of the women in Samagaun, a remote Himalayan community.

We were tasked with creating a tea with wild grown Himalayan gob-chi berries, which are tended and hand-picked by the women of Samagaun, and establishing it as a luxury international product by branding it with the compelling story of the women who harvest them. The profits of this project would go back to the women to help them grow their infrastructure and cultivate their land for more prosperous harvests to come.

Specific Role

Brand Visual Designer

Duration

October 2021-January 2023

Skills Involved

Visual Design, Packaging, Collateral, Web Design & Strategy

Tools

Illustrator, Photoshop

Team

TEALEAVES In-House Design Team

Photos of the Himalayan gob-chi berries and the Samagaun women who harvest them.

Photos provided by Tergar Charity Nepal

ProcessWhen we were working on the product packaging, we aimed to think of them as precious gifts of Art & Beauty to be shared with the world. Our intention was to create a unique unboxing experience that would “surprise and delight” our consumers, and to brand this tea as a luxury item with an elegant aesthetic.

PackagingThe diecut shape of the bottom origami insert is inspired by camellia sinensis flower petals, referencing the tea plant.

The ridged top (black with gold foiling) is designed to encapsulate the unfolding insert to create a ritualistic unboxing experience, revealing the monolithic black tin on the inside, which then houses the fragrant gob-chi berry loose leaf tea blend. Using the format of this miniature origami-inspired folding box, we crafted some potential designs for the inner graphics.

The gob-chi tea is held in an unassuming minimalist exterior, void of any excess information. With that said, we wanted the feeling of opening the box to be optimistic and vibrant to allude to women empowerment.

Photos of the Himalayan Mountain Tea packaging.

GraphicsThe box opens up to reveal a striking image of a sunset in the Himalayas. Playing with layering and duotone, the bright effervescent pink sky is punctuated by the striking silhouetted landscape of the Himalayan mountains. Information related to the wild-grown gob-chis and the story of the women who harvest them is also added to give context.

Colour PaletteThe range of colours on the insert creates a stark contrast to the black cylindrical tin found on the inside. When folded, we also liked the idea of the top half of the box being fairly high contrast against the low-contrast bottom graphic.

Unboxing of the Wild Himalayan Mountain Tea

Photography Credit: Aghavni Vardanyan

The folding box fits flush and the insert is held together by the black rigid box, and upon removing the rigid box, the user gains access to the black cylindrical tin found inside which preserves the tea until the moment it can be enjoyed.

Photos of the Samagaun women receiving the gob-chi tea. Note, this is the first edition of the tea which that has the full black outer box packaging.

TakeawayTergar Charity Nepal team shared photos and videos of the women receiving the boxes of the gob-chi tea (delivered via helicopter!) and it was special to see the women so proud of the fruition of their work. It was truly a full-circle moment and it’s incredibly humbling for myself and the entire TEALEAVES team to see the final product in the hands of these Samagaun women.