Founded in 1997, Rishi Tea & Botanicals is a pioneer in direct trade, sourcing organics, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
After establishing a relationship with Rishi’s founder while heading the RAW Tea project for Harmless Harvest, I was offered a position in Milwaukee to manage a complete brand overhaul in addition to leading their new Sparkling Botanicals line. Over time I also took on building out the Garden Direct business—a hyper seasonal Grand Cru level tea program.
Rishi
Rishi was around for twenty years when I arrived in Milwaukee and the company was ready for a refresh. We established a close-knit partnership with the design agency Studio MPLS where I played conduit between founder and agency, steering creative direction from the client side. Over the next five years we went on to build an award-winning new brand architecture that also involved a universal redesign of all packaging from wholesale formates, loose leaf tea pouches, sachet boxes, chai Tetra Pak concentrates, Garden Direct to matcha. Our final project was building a new website from concept to launch with the agency Bondfire Inc.
sasasanki. Brand Guide Phase 1
ii. Brand Guide Phase 2
iii. Packaging
Rishi Lookbook Vol 3.1
The lookbook was an in-house creation and an exceptional guide to both Rishi and the world of tea. I played a key role in creative direction and copywriting.
Download
Sparkling Botanicals
Sparkling Botanicals was still in its R&D phase and needed recipe formulations dialed in and scaled, packaging format chosen, brand identity, and a marketing and sales strategy. I was central to each step, leading efforts in sourcing materials, developing manufacturing SOPs, creating a brand identity with Studio MPLS, Trestle and other third-party agencies that included website development, and eventually providing field support for marketing and sales through events, social media management, and public relations.
i. Brand Guide
ii. Packaging
iii. Manufacturing
Garden Direct
Rishi’s Garden Direct program is composed of hyper seasonal micro-lot teas of the highest quality. For tea heads there is a huge amount of anticipation around their arrival. Immediately after harvest the teas are sent via air freight to Milwaukee where the goal was a three-day turnaround to market. It was my responsibility to set pricing, coordinate packaging, and to produce written content for marketing and sales.
Awards
DesignGarden Direct & Loose Leaf Tea – Typography Annual 9 (2019)
Sparkling Botanicals – Design Annual 61 (2020)
Chai Concentrates – Design Annual 61 (2020)
Boxed Tea Sachets – Print Awards (2020)
Matcha – Design Annual 62 (2021)
Product (Sparkling Botanicals)Best of 2020 – BevNET
Best New Ready-to-Drink Beverage – Nexty (2021)
Best New Product – Specialty Coffee Association (2021)
Best New Product – BevNET (2022)
“Working with Rishi Tea has been a rare opportunity for Studio MPLS to partner with one of the world’s best tea companies. Jonny Boss was there from the beginning of our engagement, steering, guiding, and offering his marketing expertise every step along the journey. Jonny is exceptionally gifted at understanding consumers and their path to purchase. He truly understands what it means to design with purpose and intentionality, thereby building brands that buyers connect with on a deeper level and are proud to champion.”
-Dan Olson, Founder of Studio MPLS
"Working with Jonny Boss has been an absolute pleasure. His visionary mindset and infectious energy have consistently propelled our creative projects to new heights, keeping us in tune with the latest trends and ensuring a truly cool and captivating final product."
-Stephen Spurlock, Founder & Creative Director at Trestle
“From the Studio MPLS foundational project to helping get Sparkling Botanicals off the ground, to bringing the brand to life at shows and activations, you've been an upbeat champion of the brand and a cultural force at Rishi!”
-Jeffrey Chapeau, President of Rishi Tea & Botanicals