Quality tea for everyone in a luxurious black case from Krepel. Our special collaboration with UKIO tea in the spotlight.
New collaborations with special companies always bring us energy. So does our collaboration with the brand-new company UKIO from Belgium. UKIO sells high-quality tea in nine flavors. As tea is a natural product, just like our premium wooden cases, our products seem made for each other. Moreover, UKIO is a family business, just like Krepel. In short: a perfect match! We speak with Isabelle Bossuyt, owner of UKIO, about the birth of her company, her love of tea and the choice for Krepel.
“Tea is a very rewarding product. People often have all kinds of warm feelings about it. Tea can be comforting, but also invigorating. The ‘tea moment’ in your day brings peace to many people,” Isabelle says enthusiastically. “The tea world is completely new to me. After all, I ran my own clothing shop for many years. However, my husband is active in the coffee industry and through him I discovered that there is a lot of demand for high-quality tea. I was ready for a new step in my career and that’s how the idea for UKIO was born! We launched about a year and a half ago.”
Pyramid-shaped sachets
“Recently, I have completely immersed myself in the world of tea and attended various training courses. I discovered the many advantages of selling tea in pyramid-shaped sachets. This type of sachets gives the tea space to unfold during brewing. This prevents the tea from becoming bitter and gives it a full and smooth flavor,” Isabelle explains. “The tea, which we import from Africa and Asia, is packed into these handy sachets using a special machine at our office in Roeselare. The sachets are made of organic maize starch and thus biodegradable. We also sell loose tea. Currently we have nine flavors: two black teas, one green tea, two fruit infusions and four herbal infusions. More flavors are definitely going to be added to this.”
On the trail of Krepel
“Hotels and bed & breakfasts asked us if we could supply a tea case for our tea, in which they could present our products in a stylish way. That’s why we discovered Krepel. Krepel’s many customization options immediately caught my eye and it appealed to me that their products are produced in Europe. After all, the quality is better in Europe and that’s very important to me.” A luxurious and stylish black case was designed with a water-based high-gloss lacquer. Isabelle: “Our sachets are a bit bigger than average, so we really needed a custom-made case. Krepel came up with a beautiful design!”
Personal and familiar
“I think it’s very special Antoon, my contact at Krepel, drove all the way to Roeselare to show a first version of the case. A very pleasant introduction to the company! This kind of personal contact immediately created a familiar feeling and that feeling remained. Moreover, they deliver quality products and that suits our high-quality tea perfectly. I would definitely recommend Krepel to anyone who expects customization, flexibility and quality,” Isabelle says. “I am extremely happy with how the case turned out. The picture in the lid represents our philosophy that tea is for everyone, from old to young and for both men and women. Moreover, with this black, oak chest, we stay away from the classic pastel colors that are widely used in the tea world. This chest reflects exactly what UKIO stands for!”