Packaged tea (or tea bags, as it is popularly called) is far from a new invention. It was invented at the beginning of the 20th century, and quite by accident. The American entrepreneur Thomas Sullivan, in order to reduce the cost of delivering “samplers” of tea to his potential wholesale customers, began to pack it not in traditional tin cans, but in silk bags. And potential partners, confused by the unusual packaging, decided that the bag itself should be lowered into the water, and not just its contents. Subsequently, the implementation of this idea underwent some changes, silk was replaced with thin filter paper, which perfectly passes water, but does not soak in it. But the essence of the product remains the same. The main difference between packaged tea and leaf tea is the degree of fineness of the tea leaf.
Tea bags are packed with a certain type of tea called fannings. It is smaller than the usual tea, which is used for brewing in a teapot. Small gulls, unlike a whole leaf, interact better and faster with water, giving it more substances. For this reason, tea from the bag is brewed in less time than normal.
Tea bag is much more convenient to use, it does not require long manipulations, the presence of a teapot, etc. It is enough to put the bag in a mug and pour it with boiling water. However, many consumers are wary of tea bags. It is explained by the fact that information on the low quality of tea bags appears periodically on the Internet. As an example, a cheap Chinese-made product is presented, which is tea dust with various impurities collected during sifting of tea leaves and packed in paper bags.
In fact, for the manufacture of tea bags, in fact, the so-called secondary raw materials are used - crumbs and seeds. This low-quality small-leaved tea is called a leaf of category D (from the English word dust - dust). It is a waste product of leaf tea. In cheap products, this dust is so small that it loses most of the aroma and taste inherent in a whole tea leaf. In addition, packaged teas are much inferior in composition to leaf tea, since most domestic tea producers in bags do not pay much attention to the quality of their product, as a result of which it has low organoleptic characteristics, which include the taste, aroma and color of the drink. Some unscrupulous manufacturers make up for this shortage with the help of flavorings and flavorings. A number of foreign companies use high-quality and expensive long leaf teas as raw materials for packaged tea, but their retail price is significantly higher than the average market, so they are not in great demand.
The production of high-quality packaged tea is a rather complicated and long process, which is carried out in strict compliance with all norms and requirements. A large number of specialists take part in creating this or that type of tea, regardless of the packaging in which it will be sold, from tasters to marketers who take into account the taste preferences of residents of the country or region where the new product will be sold. However, regardless of the geographical factor, consumers prefer, as a rule, black tea, which is characterized by a tart taste, pleasant aroma and intense reddish-brown infusion. In second place in popularity is green tea, which is considered a more valuable product that has good therapeutic and prophylactic properties. The so-called composite packaged teas are also represented on the Russian and Western markets. As raw materials, they use mixtures from commercial varieties of green and black tea.
Thus, producers are trying to find a compromise between the desire of consumers to lead a healthy lifestyle and addiction to black tea familiar from childhood. The choice of the last teas in our country is still not so great, since the cost of their production is higher than the cost of making the usual varieties.
In most cases, small leaf tea is used to produce packaged tea. At the tea factory, leaflets undergo primary processing and are sorted by size using sieves with holes of different diameters. The smallest gulls that pass through all sieves are sent to the production of tea bags. A much less commonly used granular tea product is used to produce packaged tea. It has a stronger taste and has a darker shade, which colors the water more intensely. However, such tea cannot be called high-quality, as during processing it loses part of its aroma and, most importantly, beneficial properties. Bulk batches of tea come to the factory by sea or rail. Then, in the factory, tea is blended. To do this, different varieties of tea from different parties are mixed in predetermined proportions to achieve the desired color, taste and aroma of the drink. A batch is a certain amount of tea collected from one plantation grown at one time and having its own properties. The ratio of tea varieties is selected by tasters (organoleptic analysis) and using special equipment. Finally, tea is sent to the place of production.
The technology for packaging tea bags is relatively simple: a special machine dispenses tea crumbs into separate servings (usually 2 grams each) and pours them into bags of special paper. Then the bags are thermally sealed without the use of glue, and paper tags on the thread are attached to them using metal staples. Ready-made bags are placed in cardboard boxes. However, packaging is preceded by several other steps. The very first stage is called "unloading" - the tea is removed from the bags in which it is delivered to the factory, and cleaned of metal-magnetic impurities using special equipment. Then it is fed to the conveyor, where flaw detection control is carried out. Then the purified and passed control raw materials are sent for blending in a large drum. A homogeneous mass forms there. At the next stage, this mixture is moved through pipes into tanks, where it is given the necessary taste and aroma qualities. And only then the tea goes to the packaging shop, where the operator monitors the operation of automatic equipment.
Of particular note is the paper in which tea bag is packaged. Its shape may vary. For example, in the West, rectangular bags, which are single and double chamber, have become more widespread. In the latter case, the bag consists of two parts with one common side and a large internal volume. In addition, there are bags in a pyramidal or round shape. The latter are more expensive to manufacture and, as a rule, have no advantages over other types of packaging of tea bags. The bag can be closed with a metal bracket or tied with a thread. Sometimes the package is closed thermally. In this case, a special filter paper with a content of thermoplastic fiber is used. As a rule, filter paper, which is used to make tea bags, consists of 65-75% of wood fiber, 15-23% of thermoplastic fiber (thanks to which it can be sealed) and 10% of abacus fiber. Its main advantages are that such paper passes water perfectly, but does not absorb it, does not contain water-soluble components and does not dissolve itself, does not distort the taste of tea and is chemically neutral. For more expensive types of packaged teas, which do not consist of fine dust, but of coarsely chopped leaves (which is closer in taste to ordinary leaf tea), a fine-mesh plastic mesh is used instead of filter paper for packaging.
The holes in it are larger than the pores in the paper, so it is suitable only for tea, consisting of individual pieces, not fractions. If you intend to produce flavored tea or tea of medium and high price category, it is advisable that each filter bag with your product should be additionally packed in a sealed envelope made of foil plastic or in a paper envelope. This will ensure the safety of tea for a long time: it will not absorb extraneous odors or quickly "fizzle out". But, of course, the cost of such packaging will be higher.
So, where do you start a tea bag business? First, you will need to register as a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur, obtain the necessary documents for tea production and packaging activities, and coordinate them with all authorities. You will also need to find suppliers of quality raw materials.
The countries where you need to look for suppliers of tea depend on its type: black and green tea are bought in China, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Indonesia. Please note: it is better to choose tea yourself, visiting a tea factory, visiting a factory. Preference should be given to quality varieties of tea - extra, top and first grade. If you do not understand tea, cannot evaluate the quality of raw materials, seek the help of specialists. This will save a lot of time and money.
Then, when you find suppliers of raw materials, you can begin to search for premises. It should be large enough to accommodate all the necessary equipment, and meet all sanitary and hygienic requirements. Production areas are divided into three sections: a section for the acceptance of raw materials, a section for packaging tea and a section for finished products. Of the workers, you will need an experienced technologist who understands teas, as well as packers, product packers, a specialist in equipment maintenance, and cleaners. The staffing level depends on the performance of the equipment you use. Of course, no one hand packs tea in bags. For this purpose specially automatic equipment is used. Its average productivity is about 130 tea bags per minute. Large manufacturers produce about 50 tons of products per shift, sending them later throughout Russia. The cost of equipment is directly affected by the period of its operation, manufacturer, degree of wear, performance. Used packaging equipment can be purchased for 1.5-2 million rubles.
Tea production is only half the battle. The main thing is to be able to sell it. Manufacturers of tea bags sell their products through specialized tea shops (but this option is suitable only if you produce high-quality products of medium and high price categories), retail chains, individual grocery stores, etc.
The average production volume will cost 3 million rubles. This amount includes paperwork, purchase of used equipment, rental of premises for production and warehouse, payroll and working capital, advertising costs for the first months of work. With the retail price of a pack of tea bags in the amount of 35 rubles, with maximum workload and, most importantly, with a sales market, according to equipment suppliers, you can recoup your costs after 1.5 years of operation.
But it is worth remembering that the competition in the tea market is very high, so it will be extremely difficult to find a niche for a new product, even at a low price. The cost of entry into large retail chains for novice entrepreneurs is too high, and when working with small shops and stalls, you should not count on large volumes of sales. Also consider that packaged tea is a seasonal product whose popularity is unstable throughout the year. Large manufacturers can fight seasonality by releasing a wide range of tea products - from leaf tea to soft tea drinks. The profit of small companies, in the assortment of which there is only one type of product, is reduced significantly.
Sysoeva Lilia
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