Industry

FMCG | Tea Exports | B2B & White-Label Trade

Market Focus

Oman (Middle East)

Timeline

End-to-end delivery in under 3 weeks

The Challenge

Lion Tea was preparing for a major trade case in Oman.

Their objective was clear but ambitious.

They needed to:

• Attract B2B buyers, distributors, retailers, and hospitality partners

• Showcase their ability to white-label and customize tea at scale

• Move beyond a Sri Lanka-centric brand identity and appeal to Middle Eastern tastes

• Do all of this under an extremely tight timeline

At the time, their packaging and branding were built primarily for the Sri Lankan market.

It worked locally, but it was not designed to compete visually or commercially in an international trade environment.

The Objective

The brief was not “design a few packs.”

It was to create a trade-ready product branding system that could:

1. Demonstrate depth and versatility to B2B buyers

2. Support premium repositioning

3. Be adaptable for white-label conversations

4. Resonate with Oman’s consumer and buyer expectations

And it had to be done fast.

Our Approach

We treated this as a strategic export branding exercise, not a cosmetic design task.

1. Strategic Brand Positioning

Before touching design, we defined the narrative.

• Repositioned Lion Tea as a premium, export-ready tea partner

• Framed the brand around flexibility, quality, and scale for B2B buyers

• Balanced authenticity from Sri Lanka with cues that appeal to Middle Eastern markets

• Developed a full branding and positioning document to guide every design decision

This ensured consistency across all variants, even at high volume.

2. Packaging System Design at Scale

We designed 35 distinct tea package variations from scratch.

• Built within Lion Tea’s existing brand system, without breaking recognizability

• Introduced premium visual cues suitable for international trade showcases

• Localized color, tone, and presentation for Oman’s consumer preferences

• Crafted packaging that clearly communicated variety, quality, and white-label potential

Every package was designed to spark conversation at the booth and signal capability, not just aesthetics.

3. Messaging and Copywriting

We handled all copywriting alongside design.

• Product descriptors written for B2B buyers, not just end consumers

• Clear, export-friendly language that supported white-label discussions

• Messaging that worked across retail, hospitality, and distributor conversations

The result was packaging that sold the business, not just the tea.

Execution Constraints

This project was delivered:

• In under 3 weeks, including feedback rounds

• Under tight trade-show deadlines

• While adapting an existing Sri Lankan brand for a new international market

Speed mattered. Precision mattered more.

Results

The outcome exceeded expectations.

• Lion Tea generated a significant volume of B2B leads at the Oman trade case

• The variety and presentation of packaging directly supported white-label discussions

• Leads generated at the event are still being actively used nearly a year later

• The client was highly satisfied with both the strategic thinking and execution

The packaging did exactly what it was meant to do:

open doors and start serious commercial conversations.