Karma Tea
Karma Tea
Good karma in every blend
THE STORY
Karma Tea started with a dual mission: bring premium South Asian teas directly from gardens to cups, while ensuring better livelihoods for tea pickers. By cutting out middlemen and working directly with gardens that prioritise worker welfare, they're proving that better tea can create better lives. After successfully establishing their core and botanical ranges with this ethical approach, they returned to us with a new challenge – creating a Blend Series that would expand their offering while strengthening both their brand architecture and their mission.
THE CHALLENGE
How do you introduce a new product range that stands on its own while maintaining family resemblance? We needed to create a design system that would distinguish the Blend Series from existing lines, improve shelf navigation, and reinforce Karma Tea's commitment to authentic sourcing – all while building on established brand equity.
OUR APPROACH
We built on Karma Tea's existing design foundation, using their iconic stamp label as our starting point. By introducing a tonal frame around this familiar element, we added depth while maintaining recognition. The wood print tea icon, a nod to traditional South Asian crafts, remained as a mark of authenticity.
The key differentiator came in colour strategy. While the core range uses kraft brown pouches and the botanical range features white pouches, we chose sleek black packaging for the Blend Series. This deliberate choice creates clear range navigation while elevating the brand's premium positioning.
THE IMPACT
The Blend Series successfully expanded Karma Tea's portfolio while strengthening their brand architecture. By maintaining core design elements while introducing distinctive features, we've helped create a system that can flex and grow with the brand – proving that good design isn't just about aesthetics, it's about building long-term brand value.
Karma Tea started with a dual mission: bring premium South Asian teas directly from gardens to cups, while ensuring better livelihoods for tea pickers. By cutting out middlemen and working directly with gardens that prioritise worker welfare, they're proving that better tea can create better lives. After successfully establishing their core and botanical ranges with this ethical approach, they returned to us with a new challenge – creating a Blend Series that would expand their offering while strengthening both their brand architecture and their mission.
THE CHALLENGE
How do you introduce a new product range that stands on its own while maintaining family resemblance? We needed to create a design system that would distinguish the Blend Series from existing lines, improve shelf navigation, and reinforce Karma Tea's commitment to authentic sourcing – all while building on established brand equity.
OUR APPROACH
We built on Karma Tea's existing design foundation, using their iconic stamp label as our starting point. By introducing a tonal frame around this familiar element, we added depth while maintaining recognition. The wood print tea icon, a nod to traditional South Asian crafts, remained as a mark of authenticity.
The key differentiator came in colour strategy. While the core range uses kraft brown pouches and the botanical range features white pouches, we chose sleek black packaging for the Blend Series. This deliberate choice creates clear range navigation while elevating the brand's premium positioning.
THE IMPACT
The Blend Series successfully expanded Karma Tea's portfolio while strengthening their brand architecture. By maintaining core design elements while introducing distinctive features, we've helped create a system that can flex and grow with the brand – proving that good design isn't just about aesthetics, it's about building long-term brand value.
