Twinings

"Christmas Tea" redirects here. For the meal eaten on Christmas Day, see Christmas dinner.

Twinings

Owner	Associated British Foods
Country	United Kingdom
Introduced	1706
Markets	Tea
Website	twinings.co.uk

Twinings (pronounced /ˈtwaɪnɪŋz/) is a marketer of tea based in Andover, Hampshire, England.

History

Old Twinings Shop on The Strand, London

The founder of Twinings, Thomas Twining, opened the first known tea room, at 216 Strand, London, in 1706, which is still operating today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is one of the world's oldest in continuous use.^[1] Holder of a Royal Warrant, Twinings has been owned by Associated British Foods since 1964. Twinings 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.

Twinings Today

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

The company is a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership,^[4] a group of tea-packing companies that work for a fair trade policy and monitor the ethical conditions on tea estates.

Twinings owns Nambarrie, a tea company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in trade for 140 years. In April 2008 Twinings announced their decision to close the Nambarrie plant.^[5] Twinings said it needed to consolidate its UK manufacturing operations in the face of increasing global competition, and is moving production to China and Poland in late 2011.

Criticism

Despite being a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership^[6], Twinings 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

• Elizabeth Twining (1805–1889), botanical illustrator.
• Edward Twining, Baron Twining (1899–1967), British colonial governor.
• Thomas Twining (1735-1804), classical scholar.

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. http://artoftea.com/wordpress/2008/10/24/tea-history-of-the-earl/. Retrieved 18 January 2009. 
3. ^ "Jacksons of Piccadilly – the finest quality teas from around the world". United Kingdom. http://www.jacksonsofpiccadilly.co.uk/. Retrieved 17 January 2009. "Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its noblest qualities." 
4. ^ "Ethical Tea Partnership – Working for a Responsible Tea Industry". United Kingdom. http://www.ethicalteapartnership.com/index.asp. Retrieved 17 January 2009. 
5. ^ "Tea Time Over For Nambarrie". Northern Ireland, United Kingdom: 4NI.co.uk Northern Ireland News. 11 April 2008. http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=74242. 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." 
6. ^ Ethical Tea Partnership
7. ^ Detailed report of Twinings ethical and environmental impact. (Requires login)

External links

• Official British website
• Official Canadian website
• Official American website
• Buy Tea Online | Official Twinings Tea Online Shop
• Criticisms of perceived changes to Twinings' Earl Grey blend (American version)
• Interview with Stephen Twining (September 2006) The Citizen, South Africa