Calendars are one of the oldest means of advertising in the world, and it's still standard practice for big companies to send out calendars to business partners and clients. However, they're normally made of paper and covered with the brand logo and pictures of the company's products. German tea producer Hälssen & Lyon decided to do something a little different by creating what's billed as the world's first tea calendar.
Hälssen & Lyon is one of the leading tea companies in Europe with headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. The family-run firm was founded in 1879 and is held in high esteem around the world because of its more than 130 years of experience in the tea business and the close cooperation with customers and producers. Hälssen & Lyon is not only a worldwide supplier of first-class products, but above all a competent developer of innovative goods and concepts.
It all started with the idea to merge the traditional product tea with one of the world’s oldest promotional gifts, the calendar. And it led to the creation of a unique annual calendar - made of real tea. It consists of 365 calendar pages formed from tea, pressed very thinly and delicately flavoured. This sensational new product idea was launched in a joint project with the creative agency Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg, and has won several international design awards since.
The Hälssen & Lyon Tea Calendar (video) is the first calendar in the world to feature calendar days made from tea leaves. Finely flavoured and thinly pressed thanks to an innovative new production process, the 365 calendar days can be individually detached and brewed directly in the cup with hot water.
Unfortunately the Hälssen & Lyon Tea Calendar is not available to buy, it was produced as a limited special edition and was sent exclusively to selected business partners. This first edition will be followed by an extensive development period until the Tea Calendar is ready for the market.