Optimizing Marketing Strategy and Consumer Connection for a Corn-Based Compostable To-Go Tea Filter in Mass Foodservice

Foodservice sales of tea in the U.S. are currently increasing at about 8% annually (Sundale, 2010). Within this sector, there is an increasing demand for loose leaf teas over traditionally low-quality tea bags. The Tea Spot has developed a patent pending tea filter, trademarked Brewlux, for the preparation and delivery of loose tea to-go in the mass foodservice market. Phase I USDA-NIFA sponsored research enabled The Tea Spot to make the optimal material selection for manufacture of the Brewlux filters - a compostable, U.S. corn-based resin. With the Phase II SBIR grant, The Tea Spot will develop a marketing and distribution strategy that makes the compostable Brewlux tea filter accessible and widely distributed in mass foodservice. The primary goal of the research is to refine the marketing strategy by optimizing product messaging for both types of end-users, shop owners and consumers.