Bigelow Tea
Bigelow Tea is a privately held, family-owned specialty tea company founded in 1945, headquartered in Southport, Connecticut. It blends and distributes multi-format teas (bags, K-Cup pods, pyramids, loose) across D2C e-commerce, retail, and B2B food service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1945
- HeadquartersFairfield, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Bigelow Tea does
Bigelow Tea is a privately held, family-owned specialty tea company headquartered in Southport, Connecticut, founded in 1945 and currently led by third-generation family member Cindi Bigelow. The company blends, packages, and distributes a broad portfolio of black, green, herbal, and specialty teas under the core Bigelow brand and sub-brands including Bigelow Benefits (functional wellness), Bigelow Botanicals (cold water infusions), steep by Bigelow (premium tier), steep café (culinary), Charleston Tea Garden (single-estate American tea), and the signature Constant Comment blend established at founding. Products are sold in multiple formats (tea bags, K-Cup pods, pyramid bags, loose tea) and across packaging options including variety packs and gift sets.
The company's underlying technology centers on tea blending expertise and proprietary foil packaging designed to lock in freshness and flavor. Vertical integration is provided through the Charleston Tea Garden in South Carolina, described as the only working tea plantation in America, which supplies single-estate tea for a dedicated sub-brand. Bigelow holds stacked third-party certifications, including Certified B Corporation, WBENC Woman-Owned, GreenE renewable energy, UL Zero Landfill, and 100% Family Owned, which are used as trust signals on its website.
The business model is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via bigelowtea.com with subscription options, promotional discounts, and international shipping; mass retail and natural food distribution (implied by brand scale); and a dedicated B2B food service division serving restaurants, offices, hotels, and hospitality businesses. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, but promotional mechanics include a 20% off berry tea campaign and a 10% first-purchase email subscriber discount. The company is sustained by 100% family ownership with no identified external investors, parent company, or public ticker, and is supported by an active marketing presence across major social platforms, content marketing via tea education and wellness blogs, and a long-running annual community running event.
Bigelow Tea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bigelow Tea
- Legal name
- Bigelow Tea
- Website
- https://bigelowtea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1945
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Bigelow Tea is a privately held, family-owned specialty tea company founded in 1945, headquartered in Southport, Connecticut. It blends and distributes multi-format teas (bags, K-Cup pods, pyramids, loose) across D2C e-commerce, retail, and B2B food service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bigelow Tea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Packaged Tea
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Instant Tea, Tea Extracts & Concentrates Manufacturing (AFAFADAH), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Coffee & Tea Service Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAH)
Keywords
Where Bigelow Tea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fairfield
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bigelow Tea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct Tea Product Sales: Revenue generated from selling packaged tea products directly to consumers through e-commerce and retail channels, including various formats such as tea bags, K-Cup pods, pyramid bags, and loose tea. The company offers subscription options for recurring purchases.
- Food Service / B2B: B2B sales to food service establishments including restaurants, offices, hotels, and hospitality businesses through their dedicated food service division.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Bigelow Tea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bigelow Tea manufactures and sells specialty packaged tea products including black, green, herbal, wellness, and cold-water-infusion teas across multiple formats (tea bags, K-Cup pods, pyramid bags, and loose tea). The company sells primarily direct-to-consumer through its e-commerce store and also operates a dedicated food service division serving restaurants, offices, and hospitality businesses. Its portfolio spans several sub-brands including Bigelow Benefits, Bigelow Botanicals, steep by Bigelow, steep café, and Charleston Tea Garden.
Product overview
Bigelow Tea operates as a family-owned specialty tea company with a portfolio of sub-brands and product formats. The core Bigelow brand offers black, green, herbal, and specialty teas alongside specialized sub-brands: Bigelow Benefits (functional wellness teas for immune support, digestive health, stress relief, sleep, and energy), Bigelow Botanicals (cold water herbal infusions), steep by Bigelow (premium offerings), steep café (culinary tea recipes), and Charleston Tea Garden (single-estate American-grown teas). Products are available in multiple packaging formats including traditional tea bags, K-Cup pods, pyramid bags, and loose tea, as well as variety packs and gift sets. The company's signature product is Constant Comment, its iconic spiced black tea blend established in 1945.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bigelow: Main brand of teas including black, green, and specialty teas
- Bigelow Benefits
- Bigelow Botanicals
- steep by Bigelow
- steep café
- Charleston Tea Garden
- Constant Comment
Products and services
- Bigelow (Core Brand) Flagship Bigelow tea brand offering black, green, herbal, and specialty teas in tea bags, K-Cup pods, pyramid bags, and loose tea formats for individual consumers.
- Bigelow Benefits Wellness-focused tea sub-brand offering functional blends targeting immune support, digestive health, stress relief, restful sleep, and energy & focus for wellness-conscious consumers.
- Bigelow Botanicals Sub-brand specializing in cold water infusions and herbal blends made from aromatic botanicals, fruits, and herbs designed to steep in cold water as a caffeine-free alternative to traditional iced tea.
- steep by Bigelow Premium tea sub-brand offering specialty tea products for tea enthusiasts seeking higher-quality and more refined tea experiences.
- steep café Sub-brand focused on tea-based culinary applications, featuring teas that work well for cooking, baking, and creating tea-infused beverages and dishes.
- Charleston Tea Garden Single-estate tea brand sourced from America's only tea garden in Charleston, South Carolina, offering teas directly from the company's own tea plantation.
- Constant Comment Bigelow's iconic signature tea blend featuring a distinctive combination of black tea with orange and spice notes, the company's flagship product.
- Variety Packs Pre-packaged assortments containing multiple tea varieties for gifting or sampling different flavors and types across the Bigelow portfolio.
- Tea Gifts Curated gift sets and bundles featuring Bigelow tea products, often packaged in decorative boxes suitable for presents and special occasions.
- Throat Defense Functional wellness tea blend designed to support throat health, featuring ingredients like ginger, lemon, and honey commonly associated with soothing properties.
Companies that use Bigelow Tea
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bigelow Tea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Bigelow Tea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Bigelow Tea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Tea Forte: A US premium tea brand specializing in pyramid sachets, loose-leaf, and luxury gifting with strong presence in hotels, hospitality, and high-end retail. Comparable to Bigelow's steep by Bigelow line on premium pyramid format and hospitality channel exposure.
Direct peers
- Celestial Seasonings: Owned by Hain Celestial, Celestial Seasonings is a US specialty tea brand offering bagged herbal, black, and wellness teas with similar mass-market retail and food-service distribution. Highly comparable to Bigelow in product format, customer base, and category positioning.
- Traditional Medicinals: A US wellness tea company focused on therapeutic herbal teas for digestive, sleep, immune, and women's health. Directly comparable to Bigelow Benefits on functional wellness positioning and natural/grocery retail distribution.
- Yogi Tea: A US-based wellness tea brand owned by East-West Tea Company, offering bagged herbal and functional teas with Ayurvedic positioning. Comparable to Bigelow Benefits and Botanicals in wellness positioning and US retail footprint.
- Republic of Tea: A US specialty tea brand offering premium bagged and loose-leaf teas, wellness blends, and a curated gifting line. Highly comparable to Bigelow's steep by Bigelow and gift-set offerings, with similar DTC and food-service channels.
- Harney & Sons: A US specialty tea company offering premium loose-leaf and bagged teas, K-Cups, and gift sets through DTC, hospitality, and retail. Comparable to Bigelow on premium positioning, format breadth, and food-service/hospitality channel.
- Tazo: Owned by Unilever, Tazo is a US specialty tea brand with bagged teas, K-Cup pods, and a strong wellness/modern positioning aimed at younger consumers. Directly comparable to Bigelow's core, Benefits, and Botanicals lines in product, format, and channel.
- Stash Tea: An independently owned US specialty tea company offering premium bagged teas, loose leaf, and gift sets across grocery and food service. Comparable to Bigelow on format mix, US retail presence, and family/independent ownership profile.
- Twinings: A heritage British tea brand owned by Associated British Foods, Twinings competes directly in black, green, herbal, and wellness bagged teas across grocery and food service in North America. Comparable to Bigelow on product portfolio, format, and target consumer.
Broad incumbents
- Lipton Tea: Unilever-owned mass-market tea brand offering bagged black, green, and specialty teas globally. Comparable to Bigelow as the dominant US shelf competitor, though Lipton operates at a much broader scale and broader beverage portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bigelow Tea social profiles
Digital presenceBigelow Tea compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Bigelow Tea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bigelow Tea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bigelow Tea subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Bigelow Tea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bigelow Tea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bigelow Tea
What does Bigelow Tea do?
Bigelow Tea manufactures and sells specialty packaged tea products including black, green, herbal, wellness, and cold-water-infusion teas across multiple formats (tea bags, K-Cup pods, pyramid bags, and loose tea). The company sells primarily direct-to-consumer through its e-commerce store and also operates a dedicated food service division serving restaurants, offices, and hospitality businesses. Its portfolio spans several sub-brands including Bigelow Benefits, Bigelow Botanicals, steep by Bigelow, steep café, and Charleston Tea Garden.
Is Bigelow Tea a public or private company?
Bigelow Tea is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Bigelow Tea founded?
Bigelow Tea was founded in 1945. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Bigelow Tea based?
Bigelow Tea is headquartered in Fairfield, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bigelow Tea make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct Tea Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are food Service / B2B.
Who are Bigelow Tea's main competitors?
Tea Forte is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Celestial Seasonings, Traditional Medicinals, Yogi Tea, Republic of Tea, Harney & Sons, Tazo, Stash Tea and Twinings. Lipton Tea is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Bigelow Tea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bigelow Tea.
What industry is Bigelow Tea in?
Bigelow Tea's product category is Specialty Packaged Tea. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAHAE, Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates), with a secondary code of AFAFADAH, Instant Tea, Tea Extracts & Concentrates Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.