(Video by Carolyn Craven)
As the cold brew craze continues to sweep through the coffee category, a handful of early-stage brands are hoping that the trend makes its way to RTD tea. One of those brands is Cham, which markets a line of cold brewed, high pressure processed (HPP) teas. Cham launched in 2015 with a single SKU, a Greek-style chamomile tea made with lemon juice and raw honey.
Eying an opportunity to improve visibility on shelf and build greater awareness for cold brewed tea, Cham recently tweaked its branding and introduced two additional varieties, each formulated with a specific functional benefit, including detoxification and immunity. Cham promotes the beverages as “cold brewed wellness teas.”
“The line extension and updated packaging is taking the feedback we received and putting it to work for us, informing consumers that we’re a fresh, all natural and functional tea,” Cham co-founder Niko Nikolaou told BevNET. “Our new label shows full transparency by listing all of our certifications and ingredients right on the front and dedicating an entire panel to where we source our tea and another explaining why cold brew tea tastes great and is better for you.”
At Natural Products Expo East 2016, BevNET spoke with Nikolaou in a video interview during which he expounded on Cham’s revamp, including how the company incorporated learning lessons and feedback from its participation in BevNET’s New Beverage Showdown. Nikolaou also discussed the company’s approach to aligning awareness for cold brew coffee with tea, how Cham is educating new consumers about health benefits derived from cold brewing tea and why HPP is of critical importance to the brand.