Agave
Building a brand around Black Chai, the wind-down, and the people you share it with.
Client:
Agave Tea Co.
Field:
Brand Design & Strategy
Deliverable:
Brand identity, packaging & launch direction
(
2026
)
Context
Agave started with friends gathering for tea in a Notre Dame dorm room. The business developed from a late-night teahouse concept into a Black Chai brewing kit. My role is brand designer and strategist.
Research & opportunity
The early business overview looked at young adults seeking social experiences without alcohol, and compared tea with coffee, energy drinks, and other specialty beverages. That research gave the team a starting point for the sober-curious audience. As the business evolved, the more specific opportunity became an at-home ritual for college students and young adults.
The later brief focused on people roughly 18–24 who discover brands through Instagram and TikTok, enjoy specialty drinks, and care about presentation. I used that audience definition to connect the brand to familiar settings—dorm kitchens, apartment tables, and nights with friends—rather than relying only on a traditional tea aesthetic.
From place to product
The original concept described a late-night third place and a portable tea set with cups and ingredient containers. The later model centered on an hourglass brewing thermos, infuser, and three ingredient packets. The format changed, but the experience of gathering around tea remained the organizing idea.
That shift affected what the brand had to communicate. A teahouse can explain itself through its space; a retail kit needs to make its contents, preparation, and occasion clear through packaging, photography, and content.
From teahouse to brewing kit
STRATEGY EVOLUTION / EARLY OVERVIEW → LATER BUSINESS MODEL
The format changed. Sharing remained the organizing idea: one brew, multiple cups, a reason to stay a little longer.
Positioning
The kit makes 2–3 servings per brew. We built the positioning around that shared experience: Black Chai for the end of the day, when friends are studying, talking, or spending a night in.
What the brief changed in the design
EVIDENCE → BRAND DECISION → WHERE IT SHOWS UP
BRIEF
One brew serves 2–3 people.
DECISION
Make sharing visible.
APPLICATION
Multiple cups, hands in frame, friends around a table.
BRIEF
The kit costs $50; preparation is unfamiliar.
DECISION
Show the whole setup.
APPLICATION
Flat lays, ingredient close-ups, and a clear brewing sequence.
BRIEF
The audience is roughly 18–24 and discovers brands on TikTok and Instagram.
DECISION
Start with curiosity, then explain.
APPLICATION
Steam, reflections, and macro shots before the full product reveal.
BRIEF
The brief names Black Chai as the category and karak chai as its origin.
DECISION
Give the drink a consistent name.
APPLICATION
Black Chai leads the copy; cultural context follows with the explanation.
Category & language
The business brief distinguishes Black Chai from the broad American use of “chai latte” or “masala chai.” It describes a strong, milk-heavy drink rooted in South Asian and Middle Eastern traditions, with karak chai discussed as its origin.
The communication decision was to introduce “Black Chai” consistently, then explain the cultural background and brewing process. This gives someone unfamiliar with the drink a clear point of entry while keeping its origins in the story.
Identity & packaging
I used forest green, terracotta, and cream across the packaging, with botanical illustrations connecting the three ingredients. Each packet has its own treatment while belonging to the same system.
Black Chai / Milk powder / Agave sweetener
A system across the kit
The three packets need to be recognizable as a set and distinguishable during preparation. Forest, terracotta, and cream provide that variation, while the illustration style and repeated Agave identity hold the kit together.
The visual contrast matters, too: detailed, organic packaging sits beside a reflective stainless-steel thermos. In the studio images, I wanted the viewer to notice both the printed surfaces and the physical object—not just read the brand name.
Packaging as a system
BRAND SYSTEM / PALETTE + MATERIAL + IMAGE DIRECTION
The printed detail
The packets bring the illustration, color, and repeated Agave identity into the same system.
Making the kit understandable
The business model specifies a $50 starter kit with ingredients for roughly 6–8 brews, and 2–3 servings per brew. The content brief therefore asks for flat lays and unboxings that show everything included. These are product specifications from the brief, not sales results.
Instead of asking the visual identity to carry the price on its own, the launch content needs to show the thermos, infuser, ingredients, instructions, and repeat use. Refill bags are part of the planned model, so the kit also needs to feel like the beginning of a routine.
Explaining the $50 starter kit
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS / BUSINESS MODEL / NOT SALES RESULTS
$50
STARTER KIT / EXCLUDES SHIPPING
6–8
BREWS PER STARTER KIT
2–3
SERVINGS PER BREW
12–24 servings per starter kit
EACH BLOCK = ONE SERVING / 24 BLOCKS
LOW ESTIMATE / 6 × 2 = 12
HIGH ESTIMATE / 8 × 3 = 24
Calculated from the brief’s ranges, rather than observed consumption. This is why the content plan includes unboxings and flat lays: the price needs a visible explanation.
Photography
The shoot brief called for two settings: studio images with light, shadow, and reflections; and apartment scenes with friends, flash, and tea being shared. The product shots explain the kit. The lifestyle images show how it fits into an evening.
Translating the moodboard
The photography brief was specific about materials and light: reflections on the thermos, light and shadow on plain backgrounds, overhead kit arrangements, individual ingredient packets, and close-ups of grounds and tea being poured. Those shots make the components and preparation visible.
For the lifestyle shoot, the brief called for apartment or dorm tables, warm lamps, candles, playing cards, and friends sharing tea. Flash photographs and close framing make the scenes feel like an evening already in progress. The two settings give the brand both product clarity and a social context.
Art direction: product and ritual
ART DIRECTION / PHOTOSHOOT MOODBOARD
PRODUCT CLARITY
Make the materials tangible.
Plain backgrounds, light and shadow, reflections, and ingredient details. The viewer should understand what they are getting.
SOCIAL CONTEXT
Show the night around the drink.
Warm lamps, flash, playing cards, and a dorm or apartment table. The viewer should recognize a moment they want to join.
Launch content
The launch plan starts with close-up teasers, then introduces the brewing process and the complete kit. Later content focuses on friends sharing Black Chai. I worked on the brand and content direction with the team.
Content sequence
The launch plan organizes content around curiosity, understanding, desire, and purchase. I treated these as different communication needs rather than repeating the same product message in every post.
Launch content by customer question
PLANNED LAUNCH SEQUENCE / BUSINESS MODEL + CONTENT CALENDAR
What is Black Chai?
Grounds, steam, and pouring introduce the drink before the full setup.
Watch-through and profile visits.
PLANNED CONTENT SEQUENCE / PROPOSED EVALUATION MEASURES
The campaign in motion
Selected teaser assets
What comes next
The presale plan asks which messages create interest and which lead to purchases. It prioritizes website clicks and orders alongside reach, shares, and saves. That gives the team a way to evaluate the positioning once the content is in use.
The work shown here documents the brand direction, packaging, shoot brief, and launch assets. The next step is to use customer responses to refine how clearly the kit and its occasion come across.