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Twinings

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Twinings
Twinings' shop on the Strand in central London was established as a tea room in 1706
OwnerAssociated British Foods
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1706; 318 years ago (1706)
MarketsBeverages[1]
Websitewww.twinings.co.uk

Twinings (/ˈtwaɪnɪŋz/) is a British marketer of tea and other beverages, including coffee, hot chocolate and malt drinks, based in Andover, Hampshire.[2] The brand is owned by Associated British Foods. It holds the world's oldest continually used company logo, and is London's longest-standing ratepayer, having occupied the same premises on the Strand since 1706.[3] Twinings tea varieties include black tea, green tea and herbal teas, along with fruit-based cold infusions.[4]

History

Twinings was founded by Thomas Twining, of Painswick, Gloucestershire, England, who opened Britain's first known tea room, at No. 216 Strand, London, in 1706; it still operates today.[5][6] The firm's logo, created in 1787, is the world's oldest in continuous use.[7][8]

Holder of a royal warrant,[9] Twinings was acquired by Associated British Foods in 1964.[10] The company is associated with Earl Grey tea, a tea infused with bergamot, though it is unclear when this association began, and how important the company's involvement with the tea has been. Competitor Jacksons of Piccadilly – acquired by Twinings during the 1990s – also had associations with the bergamot blend.[11]

In April 2008, Twinings announced their decision to close its Belfast Nambarrie plant, a tea company in trade for over 140 years.[12] Citing an "efficiency drive", Twinings moved most of its production to China and Poland in late 2011, while retaining its Andover, Hampshire factory with a reduced workforce.[9]

Ethics

Twining's tricycle

Twinings' ethical tea programme, Sourced with Care, aims to improve the quality of life in the communities from which it buys tea.[13] The company is a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership,[14] a not-for-profit membership organisation of tea-packing companies which undertake monitoring and improving conditions on tea estates in all major tea-growing regions.[15] Twinings has an Ethical Code of Conduct[16] and works with all its packaging and raw material suppliers to ensure decent working conditions in the supply chain.[17]

In August 2018, Twinings published a list of all its tea suppliers in India on its Sourced with Care website. This came after Traidcraft Exchange called on all the major UK tea brands to show the public which tea plantations they buy from and crack down on modern slavery in the supply chain. Traidcraft Exchange welcomed the move, their policy adviser, Fiona Gooch, saying that it would put "pressure on the other big tea brands ... to follow suit".[18]

Notable members of the Twining family

See also

References

  1. ^ "Twinings Teas". Twinings. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Other Drinks". Twinings. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. ^ Winn, Christopher (2007). I Never Knew That About London. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-191857-6.
  4. ^ "Twinings Tea Blends and Infusions". Twinings.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  5. ^ Phillips-Evans, James (2012) The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family, Amazon, pp. 244–245
  6. ^ "Twining & Co". Lloyds Banking Group. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  7. ^ "History of the Twinings Tea Company". Twinings. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  8. ^ Standage, Tom (2005). A history of the world in six glasses. New York: Walker. p. 202.
  9. ^ a b "Twinings to leave Britain for Poland". The Telegraph. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  10. ^ Hall, Nick (2 June 2000). The Tea Industry. Woodhead Publishing Ltd. p. 58. ISBN 9781845699222. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  11. ^ Glyn Hughes. "The Foods of England – Earl Grey Tea". foodsofengland.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Tea Time Over For Nambarrie". Northern Ireland: 4NI.co.uk Northern Ireland News. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2009. One of Northern Ireland's top teas – and a favourite in Scotland too – is no longer to be packed in central Belfast.
  13. ^ "Home | Twinings Sourced With Care". www.sourcedwithcare.com. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  14. ^ "Ethical Tea Partnership – Working for a Responsible Tea Industry". United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  15. ^ "Ethical shopping guide to Tea". Ethical Consumer. December 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  16. ^ "Twinings Ovaltine Code of Conduct" (PDF). Twinings.co.uk. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  17. ^ "Associated British Foods: Corporate responsibility".
  18. ^ Selwood, Daniel. "Twinings publishes full list of its tea suppliers in India". The Grocer. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
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