Tetley

What Tetley does

Tetley is a United Kingdom-based beverage manufacturer and one of Britain's oldest tea brands, founded by the Tetley brothers in Yorkshire in 1837. The company produces and sells packaged black, green, fruit, herbal, rooibos, decaf, and specialty teas, as well as bulk packs for foodservice. Its product range is built around high-speed tea bag manufacturing at the Eaglescliffe factory — described as one of the largest tea factories in the world — where Tetley co-developed proprietary plant-based PLA tea bag technology with automation partner Sewtec to enable sustainable production at scale. The factory has been zero-waste-to-landfill since 2013, runs on 100% green electricity, and is ISO 50001 certified; all Tetley teas are 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified and sourced from over 20 countries.

Tetley operates as a wholly owned brand under Tata Consumer Products Limited (the listed Tata Group entity), with its UK entity — Tata Consumer Products GB Limited — registered in England and Wales. The company sells primarily through retail distribution: every major UK supermarket chain (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, Waitrose, Ocado), convenience and local stores, and online via Amazon UK and country-specific sites for Canada, Australia, India, and the US. End customers are predominantly UK households, supplemented by a foodservice/catering bulk segment and an increasingly international consumer base. Tetley has grown its UK green tea share from 10-12% a decade ago to 18-24% of total retail tea sales, and the brand has invested in premiumization (a new 2025 premium range), packaging sustainability (100% recyclable cartons and plant-based tea bags launched in 2024), and category expansion into fruit, herbal, and functional blends.

Name

Tetley

Legal name

Tata Consumer Products GB Limited

Website

https://tetley.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1837

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Tetley is a UK-founded beverage manufacturer established in 1837, producing packaged black, green, herbal, and specialty teas sold through major retailers to British households. It is wholly owned by Tata Consumer Products Limited and operates factories and distribution across multiple continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Tea Products

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Processing (Withering, Rolling, Fermentation, Drying) (AFAFADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG), Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea Manufacturing (AFAFADAI), Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)

Keywords

• Packaged tea products
• Black tea blends
• Green tea products
• Herbal infusions
• Rainforest certified tea

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Tea Product Sales: Tetley generates revenue through the sale of packaged tea products (black, green, fruit, herbal, and specialty teas) distributed through retail supermarkets, convenience stores, and online e-commerce platforms. Products are sold as finished goods with suggested retail prices set by retailers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tetley manufactures and sells packaged tea products including black tea, premium/extra strong blends, decaffeinated tea, green tea, redbush (rooibos), fruit and herbal infusions, super fruit and herbal functional blends, and bulk tea packs for foodservice. Products are distributed through major UK supermarket chains and online platforms in the UK, Canada, Australia, India, and the United States. All teas are 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified and the Eaglescliffe factory operates on 100% green electricity with zero waste to landfill since 2013.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tetley Original/Black Tea: The classic British cuppa - a well-rounded everyday blend with robust flavour and full-bodied mouth feel.
• Tetley Premium/Extra Strong
• Tetley Decaf
• Tetley Green Tea
• Tetley Redbush
• Tetley Fruit & Herbal
• Tetley Super Fruit & Herbal Tea
• Tetley Bulk Tea

Products and services

• Tetley Black Tea

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTetley sources 100% of its teas from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. The green frog seal on Tetley packs indicates tea sourced from farms that manage land sustainably, protect the environment, and provide improved livelihoods for workers. Farms are audited against rigorous sustainable agriculture standards.
• Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTetley is a founding member of ETP, a global membership organization working with tea companies to improve lives of tea workers, farmers, and their environment. ETP drives long-term systemic change tackling economic, equality and environmental issues through programmes across Africa and Asia. Projects include Project Kuwala (solar lights in Malawi) and Project Mthunzi (tree planting and carbon credits).
• SewteccoreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term automation partner that worked with Tetley on substantial modernization and equipment upgrade programme at the Eaglescliffe factory. Sewtec helped develop clever technology to enable high-speed production with plant-based PLA tissue for tea bags.
• International Women's Coffee AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEight O'Clock Coffee (owned by Tata Consumer Products) is a Silver Sustaining Partner with IWCA, a global network working to achieve sustainable livelihoods through empowering women in coffee communities.
• UK Plastics PactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTetley has been a member of the UK Plastics Pact since 2018, a collaborative initiative creating a circular economy for plastics and exploring innovative solutions to recycle, reuse, and reduce plastics across the value chain.
• Canadian Plastics PactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTetley was the first tea company to sign up to the Canadian Plastics Pact, committing to sustainable packaging solutions in Canada.
• OPRL (On Pack Recycling Labelling)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK recycling labelling scheme that Tetley works with to make disposal instructions clear on packaging, ensuring packaging is recycled properly and does not end up in landfill.
• Canadian Cancer SocietyminorOthersTetley supports the Canadian Cancer Society through the annual Tetley Pink Pack programme. Since 2000, over $850,000 has been donated. Designs are put to public vote annually as symbols of hope for families dealing with breast cancer diagnosis.
• FareShareminorOthersLeading UK food partner of Fareshare, which redistributes food to charities helping homeless, low-income families, and refugees. In 2023, Fareshare redistributed over 95 tonnes of food supporting close to 2,000 charities.
• Young MindsminorOthersUK mental health charity supported by the Tetley team through #helloyellow campaign, the company's chosen charity for volunteer activities.
• The Point FoundationminorOthersTeapigs brand (owned by Tata Consumer Products) supports this charity in Rwanda, helping orphans and vulnerable young people in the Gisenyi area. Money helps provide education programmes and living infrastructure at Mwogo Vocational training centre.
• 1% for the PlanetminorOthersGood Earth tea brand (owned by Tata Consumer Products) gives the equivalent of 1% of gross sales to environmental non-profit causes through this initiative.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PG Tips: Unilever-owned flagship UK black tea brand and Tetley's most direct mass-market competitor in UK grocery; competes head-to-head on the everyday tea occasion.
• Yorkshire Tea: Betfred-owned premium-craft UK tea brand rapidly gaining share; competes directly with Tetley in UK supermarkets and is reshaping the mid-market tier Tetley traditionally dominated.
• Twinings: Associated British Foods-owned heritage tea brand with strong premium and specialty positioning; overlaps with Tetley's black, green, and herbal ranges in UK retail.
• Typhoo: Historic UK tea brand competing in the same mass-market black tea segment as Tetley, with parallel grocery distribution and price positioning.
• Clipper Teas: Windmill-owned UK tea brand with strong ethical and Fairtrade positioning; competes most directly with Tetley in the sustainability-credentialed tea segment.
• Teapigs: Premium whole-leaf tea brand owned by sibling Tata Consumer Products; competes with Tetley's premium range within the same UK grocery channel.
• Ahmad Tea: Family-owned premium tea brand with strong UK supermarket presence in black, green, and fruit/herbal blends, overlapping Tetley's product portfolio.
• Good Earth Tea: Sibling Tata Consumer Products brand focused on flavored and wellness teas; competes with Tetley's herbal and wellness SKUs in shared retail channels.

Broad incumbents

• Lipton: Unilever global tea giant with broad portfolio across black, green, and specialty teas; competes with Tetley in multiple international markets and at grocery scale.

Emerging players

• Republic of Tea: US-based specialty tea brand with strong wellness and fruit/herbal positioning; comparable to Tetley's premium herbal range in product mix and target occasion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Tetley
• Instagrams3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/tetley.co.uk/image_45_4826c252e0.png
• Xx.com/tetleyuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tetley