Twinings () is a British marketer of tea and other beverages, including coffee, hot chocolate and malt drinks, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by

Associated British Foods Associated British Foods plc (ABF) is a British multinational food processing and retailing company headquartered in London, England. Its ingredients division is the world's second-largest producer of both sugar and baker's yeast and a major pr ...

. 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. Twinings tea varieties include black tea,

green tea Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since the ...

and herbal teas, along with fruit-based cold infusions.

History

Twinings was founded by

Thomas Twining Thomas Twining may refer to: *Thomas Twining (merchant) (1675–1741), English merchant and founder of the Twinings tea company *Thomas Twining (scholar) (1735–1804), English scholar and classicist, grandson of the above See also *Twining (surna ...

, of Painswick, Gloucestershire, England, who opened Britain's first known tea room, at No. 216

Strand, London Strand (or the Strand) is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, Central London. It runs just over from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, where the road becomes Fleet Street in the City of London, and is part of the A4 ...

, in 1706; it still operates today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is the world's oldest in continuous use. Holder of a

royal warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

, Twinings was acquired by

in 1964. 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. In April 2008, Twinings announced their decision to close its Belfast Nambarrie plant, a tea company in trade for over 140 years. 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.

Ethics

Twinings' ethical tea programme, Sourced with Care, aims to improve the quality of life in the communities from which it buys tea. The company is a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, 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. Twinings has an Ethical Code of Conduct and works with all its packaging and raw material suppliers to ensure decent working conditions in the supply chain. 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".

Notable members of the Twining family

(1675–1741), tea merchant, Twinings founder * Mary Twining (1726-1804), tea merchant, mother of Richard Twining *

(1735–1804), classical scholar * Richard Twining (1749–1824), tea merchant * William Twining (1790-1835), military physician * Elizabeth Twining (1805–1889), botanical illustrator * Louisa Twining (1820–1912), social reformer * Edward Twining (1899–1967), diplomat

References

External links

Official British websiteOfficial Canadian websiteOfficial American websiteOfficial Australian websiteInterview with Stephen Twining (September 2006) The Citizen, South Africa
{{British Royal Warrant holders 1706 establishments in England Andover, Hampshire Tea brands in the United Kingdom Companies based in Hampshire British Royal Warrant holders Associated British Foods brands Companies established in 1706 Twining family Strand, London