Tea Brewing → Strategy Used By Mariage Frères®

Listen to the customer retention strategy used by Mariage Frères®.

Founders. You’ve probably heard of Mariage Frères, the tea purveyor brand founded in France in 1854. Listen to host André Brathwaite share the backstory of its founders, Henri and Édouard Mariage, who turned their passion into a lasting brand that uses a customer retention strategy: Hobby-driven experiences, including locations (Tea Rooms), and activities.

Listening to this episode is just one of the many ways we at Forms of Recreation provide founders with the strategy to turn one-time buyers into repeat customers.

The opinions expressed are solely those of Forms of Recreation and do not necessarily reflect the views of any brand mentioned. We encourage you to check their corresponding websites for further information.

• Transcript

  Episode 34

  Tea Brewing → Strategy Used By Mariage Frères®

  ____

  Most tea brands compete on flavor.

  Origin. Rarity. Packaging.

  Mariage Frères took a different path.

  They turned tea into an experience you could practice.

  They built places where customers return not just to purchase leaves—
  but to brew them, study them, compare them, and refine their palate.

  That decision didn’t just increase retention.
  It increased devotion.

  Because if Mariage Frères had treated tea as a beverage,
  they would’ve become another specialty grocer.

  Instead, they treated tea brewing as a hobby.

  And hobbies create return loops.

  OPENING REFLECTION — HOBBY AS RECREATION (2 minutes)

  Picture a quiet table.

  Loose leaves are measured carefully.
  And the kettle, just shy of boiling.

  Hot water is poured into a cup

  You wait.

  You don’t rush tea.

  You watch the leaves unfurl.
  You notice an artful color shift.
  You then cover it and respect its time to steep.

  Tea brewing isn’t about hydration.
  It’s about calibration.

  Too hot, and you scorch the leaf.
  Too long, and you overpower its character.
  Too short, and you miss its depth.

  Preparation matters.
  Water temperature matters.
  Timing matters.

  You begin to understand the language.
  First flush versus second.
  Darjeeling versus Assam.
  Smoked versus floral.

  Your palate sharpens.

  You stop consuming tea.
  You start studying it.

  And once you begin studying something,
  you don’t just buy it once.

  You return to practice what you have studied.

  That shift— from drinking to brewing—
  is exactly how Mariage Frères built its strategy.

  FOUNDER BACKSTORY — HENRI & ÉDOUARD MARIAGE (4–5 minutes)

  Around 1660, King Louis XIV (14th) and the French East India Company sent Frenchmen, including brothers Nicolas and Pierre Mariage, on voyages to Persia, India, and Madagascar to establish trade agreements for exotic goods, including tea.

  Nicolas noticed the opportunity to become a tea dealer, a trade that was later passed down from generation to generation for over 150 years. Notably, brothers Aimé and Auguste Mariage kept the tradition of tea trading alive, as tea continued to be an imported rarity in French society.

  It wasn’t until 1854, when Aime’s sons, Henri and Édouard, founded Mariage Frères, or Mariage Brothers in English, a company that formalized and expanded tastes, arguably becoming the most sought-after tea purveyor in France.

  Not just by selling imported leaves.
  Curating them.

  Mariage Frères became known for sourcing rare harvests, preserving traditional preparation methods, and categorizing and blending teas with obsessive detail.

  ____

  Here’s where the strategy sharpens.

  Mariage Frères didn’t stop at retail tins.

  They built tea rooms.

  Paris. London. Tokyo.

  Spaces where customers sit for extended periods—
  sampling curated menus organized by origin, harvest, oxidation level.

  You don’t just order “tea.”

  You choose from encyclopedic lists.

  The environment slows you down.

  White tablecloths.
  Colonial decor.

  Precise service.
  Quiet elegance.

  The tea room is not optimized for turnover.

  It’s optimized for immersion.

  And then, the workshops.

  Tasting sessions.
  Brewing technique instruction.
  Comparing loose-leafs across destinations.

  This is hobby reinforcement.

  When customers learn how to brew properly—
  when they understand infusion time, leaf expansion, water chemistry—

  they become competent.

  Competence increases attachment.

  Attachment increases return frequency.

  Most beverage brands rely on features.

  Mariage Frères relies on participation.

  They are not competing for thirst.

  They are cultivating practitioners.

  That’s customer retention.

  ____

  Here’s the decision Mariage Frères made that most beverage brands avoid.

  They slowed the experience down.

  They accepted that education would reduce impulse purchases.

  They prioritized refinement over volume.

  Most brands chase convenience.

  Mariage Frères built complexity.

  And complexity creates return.

  Because once someone learns to taste tea properly,
  they cannot untaste it.

  They need better leaves.

  They need better preparation.

  They need better understanding.

  You can sell to one-time consumers.

  Or you can cultivate hobbyists.

  One creates repeat transactions.

  The other creates disciplined return.

  ____

  If loyalty disappears when points expire, it was never loyalty.

  Give customers a reason to return: hobby-driven experiences.

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