Tea shop launches program to reward loyal customers

CEBU, Philippines - A home-grown milk tea brand aims to transform the coffee habit of Filipinos to tea culture and promote tea appreciation among the public, prompting it to launch its reward card for loyal patrons and potential customers.

Local tea brand Serenitea officially launched the Loyaltea Reward Card primarily intended to encourage the public to drink tea more often.

Serenitea - Cebu franchise supervisor Enrico Luk cited that there are common misconceptions among Filipinos when it comes to tea since most of them only drink when sick.

He said that the public has to realize that there are actually health benefits and positive side effects when drinking tea as the beverage contains antioxidants and less caffeine.

“It is a wrong notion that tea can make you drowsy and sleepy. You can actually feel revived, can calm you and keep you awake. Tea beverages have that distinctive taste to make you feel addictive to its soothing taste,” he said, describing tea as an ideal “comfort drink.”

Similar with coffee shops, he said that tea shops could also serve as a venue for friends to hang out and chat or those individuals who need time for themselves.

Although he admitted that it will not be a drastic shift to convert Filipinos from being coffee drinkers to tea lovers due to the strong Western influence, Luk noted that with increased awareness on tea appreciation, Philippines will not be excluded anymore on the list of tea-drinking countries in the world.

The Serenitea Loyaltea Reward Card is valid in Cebu only as the franchisee originally thought of the initiative. It will be given for free upon purchase of any Serenitea product.

Each card has 12 ticket boxes printed at the back wherein customers could avail of additional sinker of their choice, free drink upgrade and free medium-sized drink from our top ten drinks list with two additional sinkers depending on the number of the ticket box the customer has already validated upon purchasing a drink.

Only one transaction per Loyaltea Reward Card will be accommodated each day and the card is valid for two months only.

It was last March this year that the first Serenitea franchise in the country was opened at Calyx Center, Cebu IT Park. The Cebu outlet is an addition to the 23 existing company-owned branches in Manila.

Crystal Chloe Ong and Francisco Bernardo worked as business partners for the first franchise business of Serenitea in Cebu.

For the last six months, Luk said that the Cebu market has posted a positive reception with the national milk tea brand, capturing a growing interest from working professionals, yuppies, students and tealovers.

Amid the strong competition in the market, Serenitea boasts of its freshness, finest taste and richest aroma as each order of tea is freshly brewed by the company’s tea espresso.

The Okinawa classic milk tea that is famous for its black sugar flavor is considered as the bestselling tea product both in Cebu and Manila. —/JMD (FREEMAN)