Tea-bagging tech answers the call of the modern era

The tea-bagging machinery sector had been slow to innovate but this is changing as manufacturers are stepping up to meet customer demands for more sustainable, flexible, efficient, and automated equipment. By Vladislav Vorotnikov

As the global tea market continually becomes more sophisticated, tea-packaging tech is following the same path. Helping tea manufacturers meet the demand for more sustainable, environmental-friendly packaging is one of the critical challenges in the present time, and yet there are several other vital goals that must be chased.

The global automatic tea bag packaging market is expected to see a 4.9 percent average growth through 2026, owing to surging tea production and consumption in the coming years, primarily in the emerging economies of India and China, forecasted Mordor Intelligence (MI), an Indian think tank.

Packaging has a significant role to play in the expanding tea market as it not only protects and preserves the product within but also enables brand communication. It is perceived to be almost as crucial as the selection of the tea product itself and is a driving factor for the increasing versatility of tea packaging, with luxury aesthetics and smart carton design at the forefront of consumer attraction, MI analysts stated.

“Consequently, the packaging equipment manufacturer must explore long-term investment opportunities in versatile and adaptable packaging equipment to increase output, reduce labour costs, and maintain a foothold in the market,” per MI.

Among the key vendors in the tea packaging market, the MI study lists Teepack Spezialmaschinen GmbH & Company KG, Selo Group, Xiamen Sengong Packing Equipment Co Ltd, Liaoyang Conoval Machinery Co Ltd, ACMA SpA, FUSO International, IMA Group and Sammi Packing Machine Co Ltd.

All tech suppliers tend to shape up their offer in their own way, but there are some common trends everyone in the industry clings to.

Individually tailored solutions

Teepack recently presented a new model of the Constanta machine family – a highly popular tea-bagging line. Mario Kuhn, Teepack’s sales and marketing manager, disclosed that the company kept the characteristics of the old Constanta by being a rugged, reliable machine that does what it is supposed to do: producing good tea bags around the clock.

In addition, Teepack added flexibility by implementing a platform approach using standardised modules and connecting points. “If the machine is delivered in a certain configuration, it is easily upgradable and amendable in the field. For example, the version with a speed of 180 bags per minute (BPM) can be rebuilt in the field into the 250 BPM version,” Kuhn said.

“The same goes for envelopes: if your machine is equipped to produce heat-sealed envelopes, the machine can be upgraded in the field to produce also crimped paper enveloped bags. This benefits a customer in that the machine can grow with their requirements and allows them to react flexibly to new market developments, without having to buy completely new machinery,” he explained.

This approach also allows Teepack customers to use a multitude of consumables. The customer can decide which modules fit into the slots for consumables, so that they can produce with their current supply. The customer can choose from a total of 1320 possible configurations: two bag sizes, two types of envelopes plus naked bags, two speed versions and three types of removal options are just a few of the options available.

“We are especially proud of our newly developed pre-grouping system for the Constanta. The ejection chute is formed in a way, that an empty box can be put in front of the opening and the pusher pushes the stack into the box. With that innovation, the speed of 250 bags per minute can be operationally used without having to acquire additional staff. For the mature markets, a box erector with filler and lid closer is available, further automating the process if so desired,” Kuhn said.

With Industry 4.0 pushing network-centric connectivity, Teepack is currently looking into how to best apply these new and exciting opportunities for the benefit of its customers. Integrating the machines into a network and presenting the machine’s data in an easy-to-understand way helps to further improve reliability and profitability. Virtual reality is also a field in which there is a lot of potential. This technology enables customers to train personnel while being able to continuously produce with their machines, Kuhn explained.

Sustainability seems paramount

The desire to be more sustainable has become a primary concern in the tea bag packaging industry, the MI study has shown. Packaging equipment manufacturers are increasingly adopting automation in their production lines and adhering to sustainable trade initiatives throughout the world.

Nandini Roy Choudhury, client partner of Future Market Insights (FMI), an Indian consulting agency that recently conducted a comprehensive study of the global pyramid tea-bagging market said that the switch towards pyramid-shaped tea bags itself is one of the key consumer trends tech vendors need to address. The growth in this segment in the coming years is expected to outpace the rise in demand in the global tea market.

“Pyramid tea bags have gained popularity as premium tea products for several reasons. First, pyramid tea bags offer a higher quality tea experience compared to traditional flat tea bags. The pyramid shape allows for more space for the tea leaves to expand and infuse, resulting in a better flavour and aroma,” Choudhury said, agreeing that sustainability plays a particularly important role in the tea bagging industry now.

“Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious and are looking for products that are packaged in a way that minimises their impact on the environment,” Choudhury explained, adding that customers globally are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of packaging waste on the environment. A particularly important factor is that consumers are willing to pay more for products that are packaged sustainably. “Pyramid tea bags that are packaged using sustainable materials and practices are becoming more popular as consumers look for ways to reduce their environmental footprint.”

When it comes to the growing popularity of sustainable solutions, there are several factors in play. Many governments around the world are introducing regulations to reduce packaging waste and promote sustainable packaging practices. This means that tea bag brands that adopt sustainable packaging practices can avoid regulatory penalties and maintain their market share, Choudhury said.

“Sustainable packaging practices can also create opportunities for innovation and differentiation. Brands that use innovative sustainable materials and packaging designs can differentiate themselves in a crowded market and appeal to consumers looking for new and sustainable packaging solutions,” she added.

Different tastes

The MI study disclosed that when choosing tea-bagging equipment not all tea manufacturers seek the same features. For instance, larger manufacturers in developing nations are anticipated to increase their use of tea packaging materials and adopt new packaging technologies to address issues such as contamination, extend the shelf lives of their products, and make them more aesthetically appealing.

Smaller firms in these countries are expected to mechanise tea-packaging processes to expand output and increase efficiency, further boosting tea bag-packaging machinery demand.

Laura Maria, sales area manager with Italy-based IMA Maisa said that the company primarily focuses on providing customers with easy-to-use solutions. “Our machines are very simple to operate with high performance, extreme simplicity, and mechanical sturdiness which are the most outstanding advantages we offer,” she said, adding that customers are also looking for better automation of their packaging lines.

The FMI study further disclosed that sealing is an important field in which a growing number of companies see room for improvement. “Traditionally, heat-sealing has been the most common method for sealing tea bags, but there is growing interest in alternative methods such as ultrasonic sealing, which can offer faster production speeds and reduce the need for adhesives,” Choudhury shared.

MI also said that the demand not just for an individual tea bag but also overwrapping for a tea bag is gaining popularity to preserve freshness, and for those consumers wanting hygienic and premium design. “Thus, packaging manufacturers are [developing] machinery that not only forms the bag but will also wrap the product,” MI analysts disclosed.

Streamlining operations

Manufacturers are designing solutions to make tea-bagging lines more effective. New Jersey-based Munson Machinery does not manufacture tea-bagging equipment, but its mixers are typically positioned upstream of tea bagging and packaging lines, which as explained by Susan Schaaf, office manager of Munson, require totally uniform blends to maintain consistent flavour.

“Because Rotary Batch Mixers continue to rotate during discharge, they prevent stratification and segregation of the batch regardless of disparities in the size, shape or bulk density of ingredients. This is especially critical when filling individual tea bags, since variations in blend ratios are likely to increase as the size of a given sample decreases,” Schaaf said.

While Munson Machinery offers eight types of mixers and blenders, the company’s Rotary Batch mixer design remains the clear preference among tea processors worldwide remains due to its tea-specific performance advantages including: rapid, gentle blending, fast cleaning, and equal efficiency, Schaaf added.

New form, new meaning

Sustainability has truly taken center stage across all sectors, and tea bagging is not an exception, said Viju Vasishta, sustainable materials expert at PA Consulting, which has recently rolled out an innovative product — tea sheets, designed to be an alternative to conventional tea bags. Vasishta said that the product is currently in the prototyping phase, though the company has already demonstrated the proof of principle in terms of performance compared to standard tea bags.

Brand owners will have to make their packaging sustainable, especially for end-of-life purposes such as recyclable and plastic-free, due to both consumer and regulatory pressures, Vasishta claimed. “Currently, some branded tea bags are packaged in foil wrap and other flexible plastic packaging, and the sector needs to be innovative to either fully eliminate the wrap or use alternative sustainable materials which can be recycled,” he explained, adding that paper and pulp are emerging as key substrates across many food and FMCG packaging and a similar movement regarding these materials is seen for the tea sector.

Generally speaking, the tea-bagging sector lacked groundbreaking innovations in the past few decades, Vasishta shared. “Consuming tea should be a moment of joy for the consumer, and we haven’t seen much innovation in the tea-bag market over the last few decades. We see the same format of tea bags with slightly varying shapes, and the consumer experience feels pretty flat,” Vasishta admitted.

“The [coffee sector], for example, has made the concept of coffee into a premium product. The tea sector has not yet reached that level of innovation. There is an appetite for the tea sector to transform itself, but brand owners are risk averse, and therefore, we are seeing low levels of innovation,” he said.

Digitalisation on the horizon

Automation and robotics are already being used in tea-bagging production to some extent, but the industry may see further advancements in this area, particularly in terms of the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimise production processes.

Choudhury assumes that integration with technologies is not limited to automation. “There is already some integration between tea bagging and technology, such as the use of smart labels or QR codes to provide consumers with more information about the tea they are consuming. We may see further integration in the future, such as the use of augmented reality or virtual reality to enhance the tea-drinking experience.”

“Overall, as consumer preferences and technological capabilities evolve, the tea-bagging industry will likely continue to see innovation and advancements in production processes,” Choudhury added.

• Vladislav Vorotnikov is a Batumi, Georgia-based multimedia B2B freelance journalist writing about the tea and coffee industry since 2012.

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