Tetley is hoping to warm up its falling sales with a £13m push and a new green tea range with proven health benefits, which it claims is a first for the tea category.

The Super Green Tea range comprises four brews. Tropical and Lemon & Honey both contain vitamin C to support the immune system; Berry Burst and Lime have added vitamin B6 to reduce tiredness (£1.59/20 tea bags). They roll into 261 Asda stores from 5 January followed by other major retailers at the end of the month.

Describing the brews as “ground-breaking,” Tetley said they were the first teas supported by European Food Standards Agency-approved health claims.

“Combine the 2.5 million cups of green tea drunk every day in the UK with the one-in-three of us taking vitamins or supplements on a daily basis, and this creates a really positive sales environment,” said customer and shopper marketing director Andrew Pearl.

He predicted the brews would clock up £1m to £1.5m in first-year sales and build on the brand’s “huge strides” in the green tea market in recent years.

Owner Tata Global Beverages will be hoping the NPD, together with the £13m investment earmarked for Tetley for the next 12 months, will help reverse a 12.2% drop in sales on volume down 14.9% [Nielsen 52 w/e 14 October 2014].

Marketing activity kicks off next week with a new TV ad featuring Gaffer and the Tea Folk, which will run across the festive period alongside the brand’s first London Underground ad campaign.

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