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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

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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, Twinings was acquired by Associated British Foods in 1964.[9] 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.[10]

In April 2008, Twinings announced their decision to close its Belfast Nambarrie plant, a tea company in trade for over 140 years.[11] 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.[12]

In 2023, Twinings ceased production of lapsang souchong, replacing it with a product called "Distinctively Smoky", widely considered to be inferior quality.[13][14] Lapsang souchong was one of the tea blends sold by Twinings since the 1700s[15] and was regarded as the favorite drink of Winston Churchill.[16] Twinings cited difficultly sourcing the blend along with rising market prices for the substitution.[17]

Ethics

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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.[18] The company is a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership,[19] 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.[20] Twinings has an Ethical Code of Conduct[21] and works with all its packaging and raw material suppliers to ensure decent working conditions in the supply chain.[22]

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".[23]

Notable members of the Twining family

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Twinings Teas". Twinings. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Other Drinks". Twinings. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. 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. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. 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. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  7. ^ "History of the Twinings Tea Company". Twinings. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  8. ^ Standage, Tom (2005). A history of the world in six glasses. New York: Walker. p. 202.
  9. ^ Hall, Nick (2 June 2000). The Tea Industry. Woodhead Publishing Ltd. p. 58. ISBN 9781845699222. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  10. ^ Glyn Hughes. "The Foods of England – Earl Grey Tea". foodsofengland.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  11. ^ "Tea Time Over For Nambarrie". Northern Ireland: 4NI.co.uk Northern Ireland News. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. 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.
  12. ^ "Twinings to leave Britain for Poland". The Telegraph. 6 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  13. ^ Barton, Alex (26 April 2023). "Where to get your Lapsang (now Twinings has ruined theirs)". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Tea fans splutter as Churchill favourite cuppa replaced with 'stale cigarettes' blend". The Independent. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  15. ^ Twining, Stephen (1956). The House of Twining 1706-1956. London: R. Twining & Co. LTD.
  16. ^ Murphy, Michael (23 April 2023). "'Like stale cigarettes' – tea lovers in uproar at lapsang souchong alternative". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  17. ^ Steafel, Eleanor (25 April 2023). "What's behind the Twinings lapsang shortage and how can you still get it?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Home | Twinings Sourced With Care". www.sourcedwithcare.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  19. ^ "Ethical Tea Partnership – Working for a Responsible Tea Industry". United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  20. ^ "Ethical shopping guide to Tea". Ethical Consumer. December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "Associated British Foods: Corporate responsibility". Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  23. ^ Selwood, Daniel. "Twinings publishes full list of its tea suppliers in India". The Grocer. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
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