Teami eyes wider Middle East expansion following launch of tea blends and skin care in UAE
Based in Florida, the firm produces a range of tea blends and skin care products made from natural plant-based ingredients. The products are aimed at helping consumers relax, provide an energy boost, or for improving skin health.
Most recently, Teami launched in the UAE through its own e-commerce site, popular online marketplace noon.com, online and offline GNC stores in UAE.
The products are distributed by Plutas Trading DMCC across the UAE. Prior to this partnership, Teami’s products were available through direct sales from its US website.
As the exclusive distributors for Teami in the Middle East, Plutas intends to expand into nearby markets such as Oman and Bahrain, and eventually cover the entire GCC region.
Health trend
“In the Middle East, people are increasingly interested in natural wellness, natural skincare, and the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. There were many online orders from the Middle East before we partnered with Plutas,” said Adi Arezzini, co-founder and CEO at Teami.
“With the pandemic, people's awareness and outlook on how they treat their bodies changed, in turn, we experienced a huge growth and lots of expansion not only with our sales but also with our product ranges which are dictated by our customer demand,” Arezzini told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Some examples of Teami’s product include matcha tea powder, butterfly tea which is infused with butterfly pea flower for vitality and beauty from within properties, as well as the Skinny Tea Blend which contains yerba mate, oolong tea, ginger root and a herb called jiaogulan.
“The intake of healthier all-natural, plant-based products that can help boost our body’s immune system, as well as strengthen and energise our bodies to resist any form of illness, has likewise been thrust into the forefront of people’s dietary priorities. Even the use of beauty products produced from natural ingredients has also become widely popular,” according to Vanessa Douglas, CEO of Plutas Trading DMCC.
Arezzini was driven to establish Teami after suffering from digestive and gut health issues and found respite in teas and herbs.
Its organic tea blends are all hand-selected and sourced from their native locations. “Our teas are picked and handled by facilities that only work with teas and then transferred to our facility where we use a unique drying process in which the potency of the tea is preserved,” Arezzini said.
UAE market
Currently, Teami is taking an online-focused approach in UAE.
Based on the findings of the ‘E-Commerce Sector in the UAE 2020 insights’ report released in May this year, the UAE’s e-commerce sector emerged as the fastest-growing economic segment in the Middle East.
The findings revealed that e-commerce growth in the Middle East is mainly driven by the UAE and KSA, accounting for 75% of total e-commerce sales in 2020, due to the high purchasing power, expanded usage of social media, and smartphone penetration rates compared to other regional countries.
Douglas added: “E-commerce has tremendously benefited from the increased online shopping habits triggered by the health and safety protocols that had been imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“As things are starting to normalise, we are also exploring partnerships with popular retail outlets, particularly those that cater to the health, wellness and lifestyle segment.” GNC is one example, where it distributes through outlets across UAE, as well as on GNC’s online site.
Global expansion
Besides US and UAE, Teami also has a presence in UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia, the Philippines, Mexico and the Caribbean either through direct distribution or through distributors.
Teami is now setting its sights on the Brazil market.
“This is a market we are very popular in and we are eager to dive into the South American market in whole. We are also eyeing Japan and Asia Pacific as well as a greater expansion in Europe and Africa,” Arezzini said.
