Liam and MayGem, the sibling founders of retail and B2C bubble tea business, Tempo Tea, sought the expertise of the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation (SCFDI) to develop a unique addition to their current product concept range. Liam and MayGem proposed the development of concentrated low sugar “syrups” which targeted customisation of the original Green Tea drink . The SCFDI are experienced in developing innovative products, sourcing local ingredients in the correct quantities for manufacturing, achieving nutritional targets, food labelling and food manufacturing.
The project was funded by Scottish Funding Council’s
Throughout the project, the company provided feedback on product samples and was given advice on how to manufacture the products. The project resulted in development of the two products and the SCFDI provided all essential information to trial and launch on to the market.
"It was a very good experience working with the QMU (SCFDI team) on the project to develop 2 ranges of tea concentrates. The product was developed to the expectations and standards as was set out in the initial brief. We were able to gain a lot of insight and tap into the experience from the QMU team on this to help guide the project in the right direction. From these 2 products it will allow us to test the market for the herbal tea infusion concentrates and expand our product range where we see good growth potential."
- The Brief
- The Research
- The Outcome
The sibling founders recognised a consumer requirement to address a 2-fold need.
- 1st: Customisation – the addition of a chosen low sugar syrup concentrate which added real value with flavour, and additional benefits to a purchased drink.
- 2nd: Functionality – the growing niche for herbs and infusions to promote the idea for the consumer of “Boost” and “Calm”.
Bubble tea had long been consumed in South-East Asia, but often found to be high sugar and full of additives. The ethos of Tempo Tea is “At Tempo we strive to create functional drinks so we can live a healthier life and joyful life!”
The brief was to provide innovation on the form of the development of a low sugar concentrate, based on green tea utilizing Scottish and Asian tea blends and ingredients including the addition of vitamin & mineral blend which is unique within the out of home drinks market currently (1).
This development targeted customisation according to specific requirements, encouraging the younger demographic into the tea drinking space. Looking to take a small % of the UK traditional tea market and build on the progress of challengers such as herbal, fruit and cold tea.
Ordinary tea continues to dominate the category, reflecting its ingrained role in the nation’s drinks choices. However, it now only accounts for half of the nation’s retail spend. It was predicted to look for sharp value growth expected in 2023, propelled by inflation, and considering challengers like fruit, herbal and cold teas which have chipped away at ordinary tea sales (1).
The company required the assistance of the SCFDI to create formulations with the desired flavour and texture profiles and provide a scalable methodology for two products: Red Boost and Blue Calm.
References
1. UK Tea and Other Hot Drinks – Current Market Landscape
Source: Mintel’s UK Tea and Other Hot Drinks Market Report 2023
A critical path was created for the 4-month project, setting out key deliverables and deadlines, mutually created by the company and SCFDI.
The project team trialled various permutations to create the ideal colour and flavour for the low sugar syrup; the use of natural sweetener was employed, and a number of functional ingredients were added as infusions supporting the themes of Boost and Calm. Throughout the development of the products, any natural flavour additions were added to fulfil the legal limits.
When creating the small-scale kitchen methodology, the SCFDI considered how this would be upscaled to production.
The company approved formulations for two products: Boost and Calm additions to retail drink.
The finalised formulations were sent for nutritional analysis at a UKAS accredited lab to determine nutrition declaration for on-pack labelling.
The SCFDI provided information packs for Calm and Boost. This pack included information on, formulations, kitchen methodology, upscaling methodology, nutrition declaration and claims, ingredient declaration and ingredient suppliers. The SCFDI provided invaluable advice on how to progress & recommended co-manufacturing.
Using the information provided, the company can run production trials and conduct microbiological testing to determine product shelf life, alongside product quality organoleptic assessment. Once completed the products will be ready to launch.
