Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new — product, packaging, design, insight, food, décor and more!
- Twinings and Stafford Bros & Draeger take tea further
- Kagiso Media enters the esports space with Mega8
- New bubbly from J.C. Le Roux
Tea time
Twinings has launched a new portfolio of boutique loose-leaf teas in pyramid-shaped silky teabags, following the global consumer demand for premium coffees, which it believes is rapidly extending to tea also. Several new and refined blends are included in the Platinum Range: Gold Tip English Breakfast, London Strand Earl Grey, Budding Meadow Camomile, Medley of Mint and Red Berry Infusion.
According to Patrick Lewis-Enright, chairman of Stafford Bros & Draeger, the South African importers of Twinings Teas, tea lovers know that loose-leaf tea is the best way to consume the beverage, yet the teabag is both handy and simple: “For the best of both worlds, Twinings has created premium teabags containing fine whole-leaf teas, bringing the loose-leaf tea experience home in a convenient way. The loose-leaf tea trend globally is part of consumers’ journey of rediscovery. They’re already a lot more educated about the unique properties of single-origin beans and the coffee-roasting process and we’re applying the same knowledge to tea.”
From a design point of view, the silk-like pyramid infuser teabags have been specially created to allow the leaves freedom to circulate and infuse, adding to the visual appeal: “Looking through the prism-shaped silky mesh, you can see the different shapes of the beautiful whole dried leaves of tea or colourful buds as they swirl about in the bags that offer just enough room to flawlessly release their signature flavours. This is tea presented at its most beautiful.”
The tea bags may be used to make hot or iced tea, and are crafted from a manmade, biodegradable fabric in the interest of the environment.
Twinings Whole Leaf Silky Pyramid Teas are available at selected Pick n Pay, Spars and Thrupps.
twinings.com • Facebook • Twitter
staffordbros.com
Mega esports
Kagiso Media has launched esports platform, Mega8, in a bid to grow and legitimise the competitive gaming industry in South Africa, giving gamers the opportunity to win ample prize money through the hosting of regular tournaments.
The gaming platform was acquired by Kagiso Media from Cape Town-based software developers, Critter, which is now a shareholder.
Say Kagiso chief innovation officer, Vincent Maher, “While the esports industry in SA has grown somewhat recently, it is still a relatively young industry. It is poised for an explosion in growth with improved internet speeds now more widely available. Predictions suggest that, by 2019, the local gaming market will be a R3bn industry.”
Mega8, together with headline sponsor MTN, stages its first tournament, “The Summer Invitational”, this week (2–4 December 2016) to give the top Dota 2 teams across SA the chance to compete for R50 000 in prize money.
mega8.com • Facebook
Kagisomedia.co.za
Festive bubbly
Sparkling wine producer, J.C. Le Roux, has added a new range of bubblies to its family to appeal to consumers with a drier, more-sophisticated palate. The Vibrazio Sauvignon Blanc, Demi-Sec and Demi-Sec Rosé are intended to meet the needs of young professionals who find existing offers either too sweet or too serious.
Vibrazio is supposed to make sparkling wine accessible — open to drink at any occasion — while Vibrazio Sauvignon Blanc, the driest in the range, is described as an extra dry yet fruity sparkling wine with tropical tones and a crisp, clean finish.
Vibrazio is available on shelf from 1 December 2016 in 750ml bottles, with a recommended price of R69.
jcleroux.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.
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