Five Roses

Five Roses
Five Roses is a renowned tea brand in South Africa, and has been producing various teas for over 100 years. As a result, they have a very loyal South African consumer base. They position themselves around the romance and modernity of tea drinking and are constantly innovating to meet the evolving needs of the diverse South African consumer base.
They are most well-known for their Black Tea range, which comes in a number of variant pack sizes and blends to suit consumers’ taste buds. The variants within the Black Tea product line have been highly successful as it has proven to be very popular among South African households and various catering companies. In response to this, Five Roes has introduced larger value packs within this range to cater to this trend. This should prove to be highly strategic during the recessionary period where consumers are seeking value-added product offerings.
In line with the recent tea drinking trend, Five Roses has introduced a Decaffeinated Tea blend into the Black Tea range, as well as a new Specialty Range which includes Green Tea, Herbal Tea and Fruit blends. These variants were introduced to cater to the ever growing preoccupation synonymous with a healthier lifestyle. Debbie Shepard (FMCG, 2008), senior brand manager for Five Roses believes the speciality range is truly a step forward for the future success of Five Roses. She states:
“Flavoured teas are made using our traditional black tea as a base, and combining it with vibrant flavours. These appeal to those consumers looking for something a little different and indulgent tea for those with a sense of adventure (FMCG Direct, 2008).”
Although this line extension shows a long-term strategic outlook for Five Roses to increase market share by catering to this niche market, their specialty teas compete against a number of focussed specialty tea brands. These well-established competing brands are also stocked by major retail outlets and as such, occupy a...