The medicinal herbal tea got its nickname "Little Box of Tea" from its small pack. (Photo: CGTN/Mao Dan)
The little box of tea has been popular for its convenience and low price, being sold at around 2.6 US dollars a pack for decades, enabling low-income individuals to get a quick medicinal fix without going to see a doctor.
However, rising costs and competition from western medicine forced the family-run tea shop to reform its management and marketing. Yuan said the family members have debated numerous times over managing methods and even filed lawsuit against each other. The company finally decided to go for co-branding and open a new factory in Guangdong, mainly for brand-building. To save labor costs, processing and packaging, which is done manually, will be mechanized, though Yuan said the formula will remain the same.
