Reaching Beyond Wholesale

We have mostly described Kopius Teas as a resource for resellers, that is wholesalers and distributors who purchase our bulk teas for resale. In reality, our market also includes institutional food service and federal, state and local governments who may use our bulk teas, herbs and spices for culinary and quick service dining. Some of our core capabilities in this area include the following:

1. Bulk tea bags. We can now produce food service, bulk pyramid tea bags directly in our facility. The advantage of this step is the avoidance of shipping charges to a third party for packaging. Our clients select their teas, the weight per tea bag, and the number of total tea bags. The pyramid bags are manufactured and bagged in bulk (without wrappers) and sent directly to our clients.

Not only is this helpful in reducing the carbon footprint for individual wrappers, but it also gives our clients the flexibility to take a single order of pyramid tea bags and use them in a combination of retail repackaging, wholesale distribution, and food service tea preparation.

2. Pre-packed institutional pouches. Food service bulk distribution of loose tea need not carry the same polish as finished, retail packaging. We have many coffee roasters and tea distributors who simply want 1-2 lb bags of bulk tea labeled with the name of the product, lot number, date, and weight. This goes on generic packaging, which is often less expensive than pre-printed foils. We offer this as a more cost effective way to ship volumes of tea to different elements of the distribution channel.

3. Filter and cello tea packs for iced tea. Iced tea continues to be the most popular form of tea consumption in the US. We can manufacture 1 - 3 oz bags of tea for use in automated iced tea brewing machines, such as Fedco, Curtis, and Bunn. 1 oz typically produces 1 gallon of iced tea.

4. Formulation services. All of the above can begin with our formulation services which are specially designed to create a finished product that has a predetermined leaf appearance, taste, texture, color and price. Whether we are designing an artisan blend with flowers, fruit, tea and spices, or a simple tea bag cut blend for high volume, low cost targets, our master blenders devote significant energy towards constructing a recipe that is both consistent and scalable.

Optional formulation considerations include ingredients that are Organic, Fair Trade, Biodyamic, and Rain Forrest Alliance certified.

5. Documentation. We continue to see greater demand among our larger buyers for documentation of quality and food handling. This includes Certificates of Analysis, Product Specifications, and sometimes third party laboratory testing.

Kopius Teas can now accept GSA Smartpay and GSA Smartpay 2 credit cards with the VISA or Mastercard logo. We continue to support federal, state, and local governments with the ability to conveniently purchase our products in bulk or tea bag formats. Kopius Teas is registered as a Certified Small Business by the United States Small Business Administration and the State of California. Government institutions and Prime Vendors are invited to contact us for a formal capabilities statement, including potential bids for subcontracting of GSA or non-GSA procurement.

Pyramid Tea Bags

We just added photos of the pyramid tea bags with white tag and string. We were reminded of how elegant these bags are and how they can make such a nice, see-through presentation of loose leaf tea. Quite elegant and convenient. As a reminder, we sell these tea bags in bulk for quick service restaurants and private label packaging for gifts and gift baskets.

Berry Rooibos Pyramid Tea Bag

Loose Leaf Tea in Corporate Cafeterias, Dining Facilities, and Break Rooms

Several corporate dining facilities directors have approached us with an interest in bringing higher quality loose tea into their on-site campuses - break rooms, dining facilities, and meeting rooms. As I have mentioned previously, tea is an excellent sign of health and hospitality. In a corporate / business setting, it is also an opportunity to discuss a neutral topic prior to getting onto business.

International business travelers will also enjoy the chance to sample something that either is of a quality similar to what they have at home or at the very least something that they typically encounter at an airport coffee shop. What a pleasant way to distinguish yourself and your organization from the crowd. Serving high quality tea is basically a very inexpensive gesture that will likely put your clients in a better mood, too.

On another business application, we know annual performance reviews can be quite challenging and contentious. Start the review by sharing a pot of tea between managers and staff. I'm sure you'll immediately notice a difference in attitude.

In England and elsewhere in the world, afternoon tea is a tradition, even in business settings. We have seen many companies use afternoon tea breaks for impromptu meetings or just bonding between work associates.

In short, there are many corporate settings which simply invite the tradition and graciousness of tea. At Kopius Teas (www.kopiusteas.com) we are prepared to discuss your corporate tea program for your on site food managers, as well as offering tea in your employee break rooms and corporate gift giving.