Canned `ice tea' is a typical addition to the product mix. With the progress of time, tea marketing was catalysed with increased proportion of retail consumer packs. The concept of consumer pack was the string attached 5ps paper bags and tea chest for bulk distribution when loose selling was predominant.

The movement towards shift and trends caught on with more and more quantum going into retail packs and export market needs. It is estimated that of the total exports nearly 30 per cent is in consumer/retail packs and of the total domestic situation, nearly 40 per cent account for retail packs.

The basic functional needs in tea packaging could be summed up as compatibility, distribution and marketing. Theintricacies with respect to compatibility aspects will primarily include moisture, odour, flavour and liquor. Moisture seems the major influencing factor, including the mold growth.

The package forms primarily used for tea distribution and marketing are the retail (consumer) and bulk (shippers). The latter could be a direct bulk or a shipper to hold a suitable number of retail packs.

Typical of the retail packs include the 5ps pouch, flexible pillow type pouch, pouch-in-carton (Bag-in-Box), soft packs, lined cartons and tea caddies. Typical of the bulk packs are the plywood tea chests with foil/tissue lining and jute bags/sacks.

Use of these was essentially governed by the distribution and market needs. A review of the packaging systems needs to be constantly undertaken towards improvements and introduction of newer concepts besides to suit the changing market moods, consumer habits, and even statutory needs--environmental issues being one.

A variety of alternates both in retail pack and bulk packsegments are possible. Some functionally proven media will be:

Bulk - Alternates: Corrugated fibre board boxes, plastic hollow polypropylene board boxes, multiwall paper sacks, rubsteel square fibre drums, laminated sacks, high gauge polyethylene sacks and jute composites.

All these will however be with suitable liners, which are adequate barrier to moisture and aroma with requisite product compatibility.

As a replacement to the traditional foil and tissue combinations, a number of new generation materials are available that include barrier films, barrier coatings and metallised structures.

The bulk distribution pattern has now seen a revolution with the introduction of high capacity bulks viz. The Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC). These could be either Flexible IBC's (FIBC) or Rigid IBC's. The capacities vary between 200 and 2,000 kg.

Between the two, the former will be more adaptable for direct bulks and the latter as a shipper for units. The specific advantage they stand to offer willinclude: Flexible, durable, collapsible, savings in labour and per unit handling and cost, improved productivity, minimised wastage, less storage space of empties and amenable for tailor making as per needs.

The FIBCs needs serious consideration particularly for bulk movement from gardens to large processing centres. The rigid IBCs will be better suitable as distribution pack with higher advantage when returnable containers are desired.

Retail - Alternates: Tea Bags; Pet Jars; Stand Up Pouch; Pouch with Spouts; Bag-in-Box; Flexible Zip Lock Pouches; Flat Bottom and flat bottom/side; gussets bags.

These alternates have slowly and steadily gained ground with more and more market penetration as value added packs become the useful resource for branded products. Most of these offer excellent amenability of sizes and shapes, print face and display facility.

The analytical structure of a package can be viewed from two broad groups viz. Functional (objective in nature) and Non-functional (subjective innature). The former is constituted of form and shape, use convenience, quality maintenance and economy. The latter constitutes appeal, image, culture and psychography.

Building up a judicious combination of these to get the right pack with the aim to get market leader. Once it becomes a success the trend gets set-in and that makes it easier for further changes and expands the group. Packaging then becomes the 5th `P' and joins the family of the 4Ps of product, price, promotion and place.

Product category and consumer profile govern the consumer response to value addition. Customer characteristics and their psychographic profile generally influence product mix within a family of product brand.

These fall in eight broad categories - Actualisers, Fulfilled, Believers, Achievers, Strivers, Experiences, Makers, and Strugglers. Even selection of the colour should be judicious based on the product and user nature. Green signifies secure, natural, relaxed, while, Red is more human, exciting andstrong.

Yellow represents caution, novelty and warmth, while orange stands for powerful, affordable and informal. Similarly different colours also identifies with different personality factors. Social, cultural, societal and religious factors also become essential considerations in the package development process.

The contribution of packaging as an effective tool to distribution management cannot be undermined. The cargo movement in the international trade is preferred through unitised load system through palletisation and containerisation. Palletisation offers the advantages of: