Always a luxurious cast

Mariage Frères has been able to differentiate itself for years thanks to a very luxurious, trustworthy and qualitative brand image, an image that the brand has been able to maintain in its development and its relationships with international partners. Its distributors are indeed carefully selected and its B to B distribution is neatly elaborated.

Elysée Palace

First of all, as quickly seen in the previous article, the brand is the official supplier of the Élysée Palace, the seat of the presidency of the French Republic and the official residence of the Head of State since the IIᵉ Republic. This sign of trust towards Mariage Frères thus shows its nobility and exclusivity, the French president grants it his confidence.

Moreover, the house is mostly distributed only in 4 countries: France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan. Each point of sale is carefully chosen.

In France, Mariage Frères products are sold exclusively in the company's own stores and in department stores such as Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Bon Marché and BHV. France is not known for being a country of tea initially, but rather of gastronomy. Thus, its distribution and positioning was affected. Creating the first "French tea house" in the Marais, in Paris, allowed it to become a phenomenon, because it intrigued. The first customers were artists and writers. Also, thanks to the Fashion Week, Claudia Shiffer, Madonna, the CEOs of the big fashion houses came to have their tea at Mariage Frères.

Galeries Lafayette Haussman - Paris, France

Also in Germany, teas are sold in department stores like Galeries Lafayette and Alsterhaus. In England, it is slightly different. The country is known all over the world for its British tea, so Mariage Frères couldn't miss out. So it has its own outlet, as well as a restaurant and a tea room in the chic London district of Covent Garden. In addition, Mariage frères also came to Selfridges, a historic London department store.

Kitti Cha Sangmanee, CEO of Mariage Frères

Japan has also been a major influence on Mariage Frères. The brand was established there in the early nineties when everyone was telling

"you're crazy, they drink their tea from morning till night". The house knew how to seduce the country of the rising sun thanks to its pure side of tea, without leaves, without fruits inside. It has very quickly associated with wine with the different possible flavors. This has contributed to the success of the house to the point that Japan Airlines now serves Mariage Frère tea in first class. And then, around tea, they also launched pastries, jams, bread and other markers of French gastronomy. In the end, it was another way of consuming the product that won over the Japanese, and more broadly the Asians.

Moreover, it is from this point that the company launched the recognizable black packaging of the tea boxes. The desire was to make something unisex because, already at that time in Japan, tea was consumed by men as well as women.

Thus, the company has been able to transcribe its brand image through many aspects and in particular through its selective and rare distribution, symbol of its luxury.

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