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Twinings

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Twinings
OwnerAssociated British Foods
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1706
MarketsTea
Websitetwinings.co.uk

Twinings (pronounced /ˈtwaɪnɪŋz/) is an English marketer of tea, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by Associated British Foods.

It holds the world's oldest continually-used company logo, and is London's longest-standing rate-payer, having occupied the same premises on the Strand since 1706.

History

The founder of Twinings was Thomas Twining. He opened Britain's first known tea room, at 216 Strand, London, in 1706; it still operates today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is the world's oldest in continuous use.[1]

Old Twinings Shop on Strand, central London.

Holder of a royal warrant, Twinings has been owned by Associated British Foods since 1964. It sells a variety of regional and flavoured teas such as Lapsang Souchong, Lady Grey, and Darjeeling, as well as infusions, coffee, and hot chocolate. It is generally accepted that the company was the first to blend Earl Grey in Britain during the premiership of Charles, 2nd Earl Grey, although this is disputed[2] by rival tea merchants Jacksons of Piccadilly,[3] which is owned by Twinings.

In the mid-twentieth century, it made use of the advertising character Little Miss Barber.

Today

In 2005 Twinings introduced its first generic, non-speciality tea, under the brand 'Everyday Tea'. In 2006 it started producing a tinned chocolate drink, and in 2007 also launched a selection of tinned coffees onto the market.

Twinings owns Nambarrie, a tea company based in Belfast and in trade for over 140 years. In April 2008 Twinings announced their decision to close the Nambarrie plant.[4] Twinings said it needed to consolidate its UK manufacturing operations in the face of increasing global competition, and moved production to China and Poland in late 2011.

The company launched a television advertisement in late 2011 which featured an animation of a woman struggling to row a boat in a storm, with the background song Wherever You Will Go by Londoner Charlene Soraia. The song reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Twinings said the advert aimed to metaphorically explain "the hectic lives that women today lead, and how taking just 10 minutes out each day to reconnect with yourself can have such an impact on the rest of your day."[5]

Ethics

The company is a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership,[6] a group of tea-packing companies that work for a fair trade policy and monitor the ethical conditions on tea estates. Despite this, it is linked to a number of ethical and environmental issues. The criticism includes the worst ECRA rating for environmental reporting, palm oil use, lobbying for unfair EU sugar rules and for owning subsidiaries in tax havens. In the Ethical Consumer magazine on a scale of 0 to 20 where 0–4 is ranked as "very poor", Twinings receives a score of 2 as of October 2009.[7]

Notable members of the Twining family

References

  1. ^ Standage, T. (2005). A history of the world in six glasses. New York: Walker. P. 202.
  2. ^ "Tea History of the Earl Grey". Art of Tea. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  3. ^ "Jacksons of Piccadilly – the finest quality teas from around the world". United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 January 2009. Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its noblest qualities.
  4. ^ "Tea Time Over For Nambarrie". Northern Ireland, United Kingdom: 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.
  5. ^ http://www.twinings.co.uk/take-10/why-take-10/twinings-gets-you-back-to-you-all-about-our-advertising
  6. ^ "Ethical Tea Partnership – Working for a Responsible Tea Industry". United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  7. ^ Detailed report of Twinings ethical and environmental impact. (Requires login)
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