At just 16 years old, three students from St John Fisher College in Bracken Ridge have turned their school project into a real-world success by partnering with Queensland’s Origin Tea. Their fresh marketing concept, crafted as part of a QUT competition, resonated with the tea company’s founders, leading to an exciting collaboration.
Charlotte Crago, Grace Bell, and Simrat Gill impressed the company’s founders with their innovative marketing ideas, leading to their immediate hiring.
The opportunity arose through a competition organised by Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Business School, which challenged over 120 high school students to develop strategies for building a tea culture among Generation Z. The Bracken Ridge trio’s “spill the tea” campaign caught the eye of Origin Tea’s founders, brothers Chris and Lawrence Seaton.
Their creative concept revolves around fostering connections and sharing news over a cup of tea, embodied in the tagline “there’s a juicy conversation brewing in every cup of Origin Tea.” This fresh approach is now being rolled out across Origin Tea’s Instagram and TikTok channels, aiming to resonate with younger consumers.
For Chris Seaton, this collaboration represents a full-circle moment. He initially conceptualised the tea business during his own marketing studies at QUT. Twelve years later, Origin Tea has become one of Australia’s fastest-growing consumer tea brands, with a presence in over 1,000 cafés, international markets, and Woolworths supermarkets.
The experience has been equally rewarding for the students. Grace Bell expressed her enthusiasm, stating, “The opportunity to work with Origin Tea was an enriching experience because I got to work with a real-world business and gain valuable insight into the field.”
Looking ahead, both Grace and Simrat are considering studying business and law at QUT after completing high school. Charlotte is also interested in pursuing a business degree, potentially majoring in entrepreneurship, international business, or marketing.