Birchall bets £1 million on tea’s coffee moment

Birchall Tea is launching its biggest brand push yet in September, backed by a £1 million marketing investment, its first TV ad and a six-part film series focused on tea origin and conservation. New YouGov research commissioned by the company suggests most UK tea buying is still driven by habit, not provenance or quality.

Why it matters: - Birchall is trying to change how Britons buy tea, pushing origin, quality and sustainability as decision factors. - The campaign tests whether tea can get the same attention coffee has won around sourcing, growing conditions and flavour. - The effort reaches more than five million consumers across television, digital and social media.

What happened: - Birchall Tea said it will launch a £1 million marketing campaign this September. - The family-owned tea company is rolling out its first television advert and a six-part film series. - The campaign is built around Great Rift Breakfast Tea, Birchall’s flagship breakfast blend. - The campaign will run on ITV1 and through digital, social media and retail activity in Waitrose and Ocado during September.

The details: - Birchall said Great Rift Breakfast Tea became the first UK tea brand in Great Taste Awards history to win 16 consecutive Great Taste Awards this year. - Birchall has won 101 Great Taste Awards across its range since 2011. - The six-part film series follows fifth-generation tea expert Dan Graham and conservation leaders supported by Tusk through Rwanda and Kenya. - The films were shot among Rwanda’s tea estates and focus on how altitude, climate and soil shape flavour. - The series also highlights Birchall’s partnership with African wildlife conservation charity Tusk. - Tusk receives a contribution from every pack of Great Rift Tea sold. - New YouGov research commissioned by Birchall found taste is the biggest factor for tea buyers, with 60% of UK adults saying it influences their choice. - The same 60% share also applies to coffee buyers. - 41% of tea buyers say they usually buy the same tea they have always bought or choose the brand they grew up with or their family drank. - Just 6% of tea buyers actively seek out higher-quality tea. - Only 2% primarily choose tea based on where it was grown or produced. - Consumers are 15% more likely to consider country or region of origin when buying coffee than tea. - Birchall’s research found tea-buying habits get more fixed with age, with 40% of tea-buying over-55s saying they usually buy the same tea they have always bought. - That compares with 21% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 20% of 25- to 34-year-olds. - Younger tea drinkers are more likely to inherit their choice, with 21% of 18- to 24-year-olds usually buying the brand they grew up with or their family drank. - Only 6% of over-55s said the same. - Among 25- to 34-year-old tea buyers, 10% regularly try different teas or brands. - That compares with 2% of 45- to 54-year-olds. - In London, 12% consider the country or region of origin when buying tea, compared with 9% nationally. - 15% of Londoners consider ethical or sustainability credentials when buying tea.

Between the lines: - Birchall is using a premium tea campaign to borrow from coffee’s playbook without abandoning the everyday tea market. - The messaging leans on provenance and conservation to justify a higher-value brand position. - The research suggests the biggest barrier is not taste, but consumer habit.

What's next: - Birchall will continue the campaign through September across broadcast, digital, social and retail channels. - The company is positioning the film series and TV ad to drive more shoppers to think about tea origin before purchase. - Dan Graham said Birchall hopes the campaign encourages more people to look beyond the tea bag and learn the story behind every brew.

The bottom line: - Birchall is betting that tea can become more like specialty coffee: more curious, more provenance-led and more premium.