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One of the most rewarding aspects of ceramic OEM manufacturing is the opportunity to work with premium consumer brands whose products end up in the hands of millions of customers worldwide. Among our clients is T2 Tea โ one of the world’s most recognised premium tea brands, founded in Melbourne, Australia, with retail presence across multiple continents and a loyal following of tea enthusiasts globally.
This case study walks through the process we use to develop and manufacture custom ceramic teaware for T2 and similar premium international tea brands โ covering the brief, design development, sampling, quality standards and production.
About T2 Tea
T2 Tea is a premium lifestyle tea brand known for its distinctive retail store design, extensive tea range and beautifully crafted teaware. Founded in Melbourne in 1996 and now part of the Unilever group, T2 has retail stores across Australia, the UK, the US and New Zealand, as well as a strong online presence. Their ceramic teaware โ mugs, teapots, cups and accessories โ is as much a part of the T2 brand experience as the tea itself.
As T2’s ceramic manufacturing partner, Artstar Homewares produces ceramic pieces that meet the exacting standards of a brand that is scrutinised by millions of discerning customers worldwide.
The Manufacturing Standard T2 Requires
For a brand at T2’s level, the ceramic supplier must meet requirements that go well beyond price and lead time:
- Exact colour consistency across production runs (within defined Delta-E tolerance)
- Dimensional accuracy to within ยฑ0.5mm for stacking and display compatibility
- Glaze surface quality that photographs beautifully and withstands commercial use
- Full compliance with FDA and LFGB food contact standards
- Sedex SMETA social audit for ethical sourcing compliance
- On-time delivery for retail calendar deadlines
Stage 1: Brief and Design Development
T2’s product development team sends us a design brief that includes:
- Shape specifications (dimensions, capacity, handle style, foot detail)
- Pantone colour references for glaze
- Decal artwork files for any printed decoration (vector format)
- Packaging specifications (gift box dimensions, insert type, print requirements)
- Reference samples from previous ranges (for consistency matching)
Our technical team reviews the brief and identifies any manufacturing constraints early โ this is where 15+ years of factory experience saves the client from expensive mistakes later.
Stage 2: Mould Development
If the brief requires a new shape, our mould shop produces plaster master moulds from 3D-printed prototypes or technical drawings. Depending on complexity, a new mould takes 15โ25 days. For shapes adapted from existing forms โ for example, modifying handle size or adding an embossed logo โ tooling time is 7โ12 days.
Stage 3: Glaze and Decal Development
Getting glaze colour right is one of the most technically demanding parts of the process. Glaze colours shift during firing based on kiln atmosphere, temperature curve and glaze thickness. Our glaze laboratory develops test batches and fires colour trials until we achieve a match within T2’s specified Delta-E tolerance.
Decal artwork is proofed digitally first, then produced as ceramic transfer screens. We always fire a decal trial before committing to a full production run.
Stage 4: Pre-Production Samples
Once development is complete, we produce pre-production samples (typically 3โ6 pieces per SKU) and ship them to T2 via DHL. The T2 team reviews against their brief, checks colour against standard, photographs the pieces and provides written approval before we proceed to mass production.
Stage 5: Mass Production and Quality Control
During mass production, our QC team conducts in-process checks (colour, dimension, surface quality at each stage), pre-shipment AQL inspection of finished goods, and drop tests on random pieces. For clients requiring third-party inspection, we coordinate with SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas.
Stage 6: Export Packing and Shipping
Our standard export packing: individual foam or paper wrap per piece, custom inner dividers, double-wall export cartons, full commercial documentation. We ship FOB Shantou for most orders, and can arrange CIF or DDP for door-to-door delivery.
What This Means for Your Brand
If you’re a tea brand, homeware label, gift brand or retail chain looking for a ceramic manufacturing partner who can meet premium brand standards, we’d welcome the conversation. We work with brands of all sizes โ from emerging labels placing their first 500-piece run to established brands like T2 with multi-SKU annual programmes.
Start an OEM enquiry โ | Email: sales1@artstarhl.com | Request a quote
