Sariwangi (stylized as SariWangi) is an Indonesian

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

brand currently owned by

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

. The brand name literally means 'fragrant essence' in

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

. Sariwangi was the first Indonesian tea brand to be packaged in bags, as opposed to the more traditional loose serving. This practical way of serving tea caught on with Indonesian consumers, and with Unilever's acquisition of the brand in 1989, Sariwangi remained as the largest tea brand in Indonesia.

History

Johan Alexander Supit from Tondano, Indonesia, founded PT Sariwangi in 1964. He used his previous experiences working in other tea companies such as Peek, Frean & Co. Ltd and Joseph Tetley & Company to build his own tea exporting company. It is from these companies that Supit gained the technology for packaging tea in bags, which was uncommon then in Indonesia. In 1972, this novel packaging immediately became a success, and for nearly two decades, Sariwangi dominated the Indonesian tea market.SariWangi: Pelopor Teh Celup yang Kolaps di Tangan Generasi Kedua
Retrieved 30 August 2019. (In Indonesian)

Unilever acquisition

In 1989, Unilever acquired the Sariwangi brand, although Supit remained as its major tea supplier through another company, PT Sariwangi AEA. Since 2015, however, PT Sariwangi AEA encountered financial problems and in late October 2018, it was declared bankrupt by the Central Jakarta Commercial Court. Today, the Sariwangi brand is still produced and sold by PT Unilever Indonesia.

References

External links

Tentang Sariwangi
(In Indonesian) Indonesian brands Unilever brands Tea brands {{tea-stub