Three Brisbane schoolgirls have been appointed as young ambassadors for Queensland tea company, Origin Tea, after winning a school competition run by Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Business School.

As part of the competition, Charlotte Crago, Grace Bell, and Simrat Gill, were tasked with helping Origin Tea build a tea culture for Gen Z. Origin Tea Founders Chris and Lawrence Seaton were so impressed with the teenagers' 'spill the tea' campaign that they hired them on the spot.

The girls have been creating content at the company's Murarrie head office and warehouse, as well as shoots around Brisbane. Their content has started rolling out across Origin Tea's Instagram and TikTok channels. Origin Tea believes the Gen Z market will be more receptive to their peers, especially when using their own lingo.

Origin Tea was founded by Chris and Lawrence Seaton as part of a marketing subject during Chris's QUT studies. Twelve years later, Origin Tea has grown to be one of the fastest-growing consumer tea brands in Australia, stocked in more than 1000 cafes and sold internationally and in Woolworths.

“Our mission at Origin Tea has always been about making tea drinking cool – and Simrat, Charlotte and Grace nailed the brief with their fresh, fun ideas,” said Origin Tea CEO and Co-Founder Chris Seaton. “We presented them with a mission to drive awareness and sales among their own generation and they came up with a quintessentially Gen Z campaign that was so good we couldn’t resist taking it into the real world.”

Chris Seaton added: “I was 21 when I decided to turn my uni assignment into the real deal and it went on to become the fastest growing consumer tea business in Australia, so I know the success that can be sparked by a school project.”

The girls are being paid for their work on the campaign and have also received plenty of tea products for themselves and their families to enjoy. “The opportunity to work with Origin Tea has been an enriching experience because I am working with a real-world business and gaining valuable insight into the field. It has solidified my love for business and my future goals and aspirations for my career,” said Bell.

Gill added: “I’m learning about the business industry first-hand, gaining real-world marketing insights and learning how to effectively promote products.”

Crago said: “Becoming a brand ambassador for Origin Tea was an opportunity I never thought I would receive when I participated in Blueshift. I have gained fundamental learning experiences in the marketing field by working with Origin Tea that is sure to form a pathway for my future.”