Solaris Tea launches new bilingual packaging for its loose-leaf range, illustrated by Steve Doogan, and celebrates with a free ‘Tae agus Teanga’ event at Súil Eile, Barna, at 1pm on Saturday 21st November
Solaris Tea has unveiled new bilingual (Irish-English) packaging for its loose-leaf tea range, with illustrations by Steve Doogan. Born from a desire to honour Ireland’s native language, heritage and plant folklore, the design celebrates the renewed interest in Gaeilge in modern culture and brings it into everyday tea rituals.
Karin Müller, Co-Founder of Solaris Tea, speaks about the inspiration behind the new packaging: “Every detail on our packaging isn’t just a design; it’s a piece of the land we call home in Galway. From the wild roses and elderflowers blooming along our paths to the ancient heart-shaped stone where our daily tea rituals happen, and, of course, our resident star, Rosie the cat, the packaging showcases where Solaris Tea comes from. We wanted to bring you with us on this journey, to show you the peaceful sanctuary where our inspiration grows, and that’s what our packaging does.”
The new packaging also celebrates traditional craftsmanship, featuring bespoke linocut artwork hand-carved by Dublin-based artist and illustrator Steve Doogan, known for his artwork in Manchán Magan’s bestselling books on Irish language and folklore. Created in collaboration with designer Dara Ní Bheacháin, the illustrations draw on local plant folklore and the landscape surrounding Solaris Tea’s home on the Wild Atlantic Coast.
Steve Doogan said: “We created this design based on native ingredients, our landscape and the Irish language, which are so important to Solaris and its brand ethos. It was a pleasure to bring this to life with Karin and Jörg, alongside my co-designer Dara Ní Bheacháin. It’s great to see it out in the world.”
The entire Solaris loose-leaf range now comes in the new bilingual packaging, in 50g, 100g and 500g pouches, each featuring the same Steve Doogan design in a different background colour. Blended and packed in Galway by medical herbalists Jörg and Karin Müller, the range spans black, green, white, oolong and herbal teas. Highlights include Rose Assam, pairing organic rose petals with first-flush Assam; warming Ginger Zest with cinnamon, ginger, elderflower and liquorice root; and soothing, caffeine-free Peppermint, Nettle & Fennel. The collection also includes the award-winning Earl Grey, made with top-grade Darjeeling from the Singtom estate, and Chamomile Dream, an award-winning, caffeine-free blend gentle enough for the whole family. The teas come in home-compostable pouches: the entire pouch, including its seal and zipper, is designed to break down in a home composting environment, without specialist industrial facilities.
To celebrate the new look, Solaris Tea and Súil Eile will host ‘Tae agus Teanga’, an afternoon of tea, chats and learning at Súil Eile in Barna on Saturday 21st November from 1pm to 3pm, as part of the Blas na Samhna festival running throughout November.
Co-hosted by Irish speaker and TV presenter Caitríona McAteer, the session includes a complimentary tasting of seasonal Solaris teas and a few fun ways to ‘spill the tea’ as Gaeilge, with all levels of Irish welcome. Gaeilgeoir Marian Ní Chonghaile will also host a ‘Mini Mindfulness & Breathe Session’ as Gaeilge from 2.30pm to 2.50pm.
Admission is free, but places are limited, so booking is essential at atasteofgalway.com/events.
Shop the range at solarisbotanicals.com. Keep up to date with the latest news by following Solaris on social media at @solaristea.