JOKO Tea Packaging Design
Re-energising a heritage brand without losing what makes it JOKO.
CLIENT – Lipton Teas & Infusions
INDUSTRY – FMCG Beverages
SERVICES – Branding & Packaging Design
JOKO is one of South Africa’s most established tea brands, with strong recognition built over more than a century.
As the category evolved, JOKO was facing declining share. The challenge was to modernise the brand and strengthen its premium credentials without throwing away the distinctive assets consumers already knew and trusted.
As part of the process we explored an extensive range of masterbrand executions, from evolutionary to more future-facing and revolutionary, to find the right balance between heritage and renewed relevance.
The solution was to make JOKO’s existing equities work harder. The wordmark became the hero, supported by a simplified gold swoosh, distinctive red colour and the reintroduction of the iconic glass teacup. A quality seal reinforced JOKO’s heritage and product credentials.
The resulting system created a stronger, more premium masterbrand presence – while giving new variants the flexibility to establish their own distinctive expression.
For the 2025 JOKO Rooibos launch, gold became the defining cue. The new pack created a distinctive premium presence for the variant, while retaining clear links to JOKO and reinforcing its South African roots and 100% pure rooibos credentials.
The redesigned JOKO Black helped reverse previous share declines, delivering sustained growth.
JOKO Rooibos became a new expression of the brand that successfully balanced distinctiveness with JOKO’s established equity.
Pre-launch testing validated the pack across visibility, persuasion, communication and product-strength drivers. Almost all respondents correctly identified JOKO Rooibos, with the pack taking approximately 10 seconds to identify on shelf, while purchase intent was stronger than benchmark.
Following launch in 2025, tonnage reached twice the original forecast, alongside notable share gains.
“Overall, the JOKO packaging work has contributed meaningfully to stronger brand recognition, improved shelf impact, and measurable commercial growth. It demonstrates how thoughtful pack design can support brand strategy, improve consumer understanding, and translate into stronger in-market performance,”
(Sue Marshall, South Africa Marketing Director for Lipton Teas and Infusions.)
Re-energising a heritage brand without losing what makes it JOKO.
CLIENT – Lipton Teas & Infusions
INDUSTRY – FMCG Beverages
SERVICES – Branding & Packaging Design
JOKO is one of South Africa’s most established tea brands, with strong recognition built over more than a century.
As the category evolved, JOKO was facing declining share. The challenge was to modernise the brand and strengthen its premium credentials without throwing away the distinctive assets consumers already knew and trusted.
As part of the process we explored an extensive range of masterbrand executions, from evolutionary to more future-facing and revolutionary, to find the right balance between heritage and renewed relevance.
The solution was to make JOKO’s existing equities work harder. The wordmark became the hero, supported by a simplified gold swoosh, distinctive red colour and the reintroduction of the iconic glass teacup. A quality seal reinforced JOKO’s heritage and product credentials.
The resulting system created a stronger, more premium masterbrand presence – while giving new variants the flexibility to establish their own distinctive expression.
For the 2025 JOKO Rooibos launch, gold became the defining cue. The new pack created a distinctive premium presence for the variant, while retaining clear links to JOKO and reinforcing its South African roots and 100% pure rooibos credentials.
The redesigned JOKO Black helped reverse previous share declines, delivering sustained growth.
JOKO Rooibos became a new expression of the brand that successfully balanced distinctiveness with JOKO’s established equity.
Pre-launch testing validated the pack across visibility, persuasion, communication and product-strength drivers. Almost all respondents correctly identified JOKO Rooibos, with the pack taking approximately 10 seconds to identify on shelf, while purchase intent was stronger than benchmark.
Following launch in 2025, tonnage reached twice the original forecast, alongside notable share gains.
“Overall, the JOKO packaging work has contributed meaningfully to stronger brand recognition, improved shelf impact, and measurable commercial growth. It demonstrates how thoughtful pack design can support brand strategy, improve consumer understanding, and translate into stronger in-market performance,”
(Sue Marshall, South Africa Marketing Director for Lipton Teas and Infusions.)
BACK TO PORTFOLIO
NEXT Project
Re-energising a heritage brand without losing what makes it JOKO.
JOKO is one of South Africa’s most established tea brands, with strong recognition built over more than a century.
As the category evolved, JOKO was facing declining share. The challenge was to modernise the brand and strengthen its premium credentials without throwing away the distinctive assets consumers already knew and trusted.
As part of the process we explored an extensive range of masterbrand executions, from evolutionary to more future-facing and revolutionary, to find the right balance between heritage and renewed relevance.
The solution was to make JOKO’s existing equities work harder. The wordmark became the hero, supported by a simplified gold swoosh, distinctive red colour and the reintroduction of the iconic glass teacup. A quality seal reinforced JOKO’s heritage and product credentials.
The resulting system created a stronger, more premium masterbrand presence – while giving new variants the flexibility to establish their own distinctive expression.
For the 2025 JOKO Rooibos launch, gold became the defining cue. The new pack created a distinctive premium presence for the variant, while retaining clear links to JOKO and reinforcing its South African roots and 100% pure rooibos credentials.
The redesigned JOKO Black helped reverse previous share declines, delivering sustained growth.
JOKO Rooibos became a new expression of the brand that successfully balanced distinctiveness with JOKO’s established equity.
Pre-launch testing validated the pack across visibility, persuasion, communication and product-strength drivers. Almost all respondents correctly identified JOKO Rooibos, with the pack taking approximately 10 seconds to identify on shelf, while purchase intent was stronger than benchmark.
Following launch in 2025, tonnage reached twice the original forecast, alongside notable share gains.
“Overall, the JOKO packaging work has contributed meaningfully to stronger brand recognition, improved shelf impact, and measurable commercial growth. It demonstrates how thoughtful pack design can support brand strategy, improve consumer understanding, and translate into stronger in-market performance,”
(Sue Marshall, South Africa Marketing Director for Lipton Teas and Infusions.)