Tata Tea forays into beverage market with T!ON

Tata Tea has announced its foray into the Rs 10,000 crore branded cold drink market with the launch of T!ON, a cold beverage targeted at the youth market. The new product is available in three flavours – Mango Rush, Peach Punch and Apple Buzz. Chennai has been selected as the launch market for T!ON, and the drink will later be rolled out nationally in a phased manner.

The move is an indication of the company’s strategy of moving its primary focus from tea to the beverage segment, focusing specifically on the wellness and health platform. The move also signals its entry into a market that is in size almost double that of the branded tea market in which it currently operates.

Sangeeta Talwar, executive director, Tata Tea elaborated, “This is a defining moment in the history of Tata Tea as it symbolizes the tranformative change taking place in the company. T!ON is about disruptive innovation, about a unique combination of fun-indulgence and health-wellness. It is about funk and attitude and has been positioned to appeal to youthfulness in its active refreshment platform and its brand architecture.”

The new beverage is packaged in a 400 ml pet bottle and is priced at Rs. 22.

T!ON has been positioned as a product that synergises three wellness ingredients – tea, rich in antioxidants to reverse the effects of today’s hectic lifestyle, fruits – a source of nutrition and refreshment, and ginseng to provide rejuvenation, refreshment and health.