Zhuyeqing Tea is a standout in China as one of the very few instances of national tea branding. The company has built strong consumer awareness through advertising, using the slogan "Ping Chang Xin" which means "Relaxing Heart" for the refreshing and soothing aroma of this eponymous tea. The name Zhu Ye Qing means "Green Bamboo Leaf" and was reportedly given by the Foreign Minister in 1964 when he first tasted the tea in the Temple of Ten Thousand Years in Mount Emei.
China does not have any world-class tea brand. That view, stated by Tang Ke, a director in the Ministry of Agriculture in 2017, is well supported by expert and industry opinion and data. Almost any published discussion of China tea brands centers on the dominant player: Lipton, that takes cheap China leaf and packages it in tea bags, commanding a higher price in world markets than comparable China mass-market teas.
China’s specialty teas stand out but are elite names – Mao Feng, Wuyi oolong, Dragonwell, etc. –that rarely translate to brands. In the domestic market, this impedes the growth of customer relationships and market positioning. A study of 10,000 consumers in 10 cities found that only 11% bought tea from the same company.
There are many factors that help explain the branding gap: the fragmentation, localization, and specialization among 70 thousand tea producers stand out. A 2016 report on Lipton’s success aptly summarizes the market as “jumbled” and “confusing.” Neither helps in building customer communication and trust.
Zhuyeqing Tea’s branding begins with a first-rate leaf. Green Bamboo is premium in terms of its mountain location, soil, artisan harvesting, and ecological practices. It is targeted directly to the domestic luxury market. It adds to this a missing necessity for branding: premium processing facilities, technology, quality assurance, and staff expertise. Only 6% of China’s plantations produce a finished product. Over half export tea as a raw product. That means that they do not add value to their harvest and the branding advantage goes to the packager, blender and retailer. Production is highly inefficient and only 40% as productive as the average for India,
Zhuyeqing has invested around $15 million in developing a customized production line with the stated aims of cementing its position as a leader in digital production and “laying the technological foundation for the entry of Chinese green tea into the global market.” It has also commissioned innovative graphic design for its packaging to communicate the modernity of the tea plus its long historical pedigree.
The tea is available online in the US. It is rated very highly – almost all 5s in customer reviews.