Lipton entering new era

Lipton’s Concentrates

The rebrand was a move to “refresh the image of the brand and keep relevant with consumers,” said Alexander White, director of research and development, North America, Lipton. It also was the beginning of a series of product rollouts to expand its portfolio and keep up with evolving consumer trends.

In July, Lipton added two innovations: tea concentrates and a line of fruit and herbal teas.

The tea concentrates are brewed from tea and may be poured into any liquid. They are available in three flavors, including black tea with lemon, green tea with lemonade and southern sweet black tea.

“One piece of data that was very relevant to us was that a lot of iced tea is consumed at mealtimes, but not a lot of mealtimes include iced tea, and when we delved into the reasons for that, preparation is a barrier,” White said. “So, that’s where we felt that the concentrates would provide a solution to that gap.”

The concentrates’ few preparatory steps will encourage consumers to drink more teas at mealtimes, White said.

While the concentrate line is formulated for convenience, the fruit and herbal lines are intended for flavor exploration and to provide “comfort and calm” to daily routines, the company said.

The line offers such flavors as berry, mint, chamomile, lemon ginger and peach.

“Fruit and herbal is the biggest category within tea, and it’s the No. 1 category in value,” White said. “Its size is just short of $1 billion, and it’s growing at a fast pace. So, it made sense for us to tap into that opportunity since we have no real footprint in fruit and herbals.”

White added that the new products align with consumer concerns about caffeine intake or mental health support.

The product line is tailored for younger consumers, aligning with their interests in flavor innovation.

With the products joining the category, Lipton also hopes it will bring consumers into new flavor territories while maintaining their interest in functional beverages.

“I think the gap that we’ve noticed is that consumers don’t approach fruit and herbals because they think the flavors might not be appealing,” White said. “A lot of the fruit and herbal offerings (in the market), in our opinion, still have a very medicinal, herbaceous flavor that offers the health benefits, but doesn’t necessarily drive taste appeal.”

White said the line is differentiated in the market by providing consumers with a flavor-forward product that still offers health benefits. The teas may be enjoyed hot or iced, which gives the products additional flexibility, he said.