What TEEKANNE does

TEEKANNE GmbH & Co. KG is a German tea manufacturer and retailer founded in 1882 and headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The company operates as a multi-channel tea business spanning direct-to-consumer e-commerce (teekanne.de/shop), a physical factory outlet (Werksverkauf) at Kevelaerer Str. 33 in Düsseldorf, and a dedicated B2B/Gastronomie division serving hotels, restaurants, and cafés. Its product portfolio covers 30+ core categories and sub-brands including fruit teas (Früchtetee), herbal teas (Kräutertee), black tea, green tea, chai, rooibos, white tea, Darjeeling, Assam, and Earl Grey, alongside specialty lines such as the frio cold-brew system, the cold & fresh organic line, the TEALOUNGE proprietary capsule platform (with Home and Professional editions), and lifestyle sub-brands (NamasTee, 5 CUPS, Selected, ORGANICS, BIO Pur, Tea Latte, Kindertee, Sweeteas). Geographically, TEEKANNE ships D2C to Germany and Austria, with FRESH products restricted to Germany only.

The business model is built on one-time product sales across B2C and B2B channels, with no disclosed subscription or recurring revenue mechanics. Pricing follows a unit-pricing model with free shipping thresholds (€30 within Germany, €49 to Austria), a €0.50 per-sixpack processing fee for FRESH products, and a 10% newsletter subscriber discount as an acquisition incentive. Marketing is executed across email/newsletter (via Brevo), organic social (Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok), Google Ads with retargeting (via VIVALU), and content marketing through the Tee-Magazin editorial platform. The company has held a Rainforest Alliance partnership since 2011 as the first German tea company to introduce certified tea products, and operates under a GmbH & Co. KG private legal structure with no parent company, PE/VC backing, or M&A activity disclosed. Customer segments are primarily distributed individual consumers plus an undifferentiated B2B foodservice base, with no named enterprise customers or select customer logos.

Name

TEEKANNE

Legal name

TEEKANNE GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://teekanne.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

TEEKANNE GmbH & Co. KG is a German tea manufacturer founded in 1882, headquartered in Düsseldorf. It sells fruit, herbal, black, green, chai, and specialty teas via D2C e-commerce, a factory outlet, and B2B gastronomy channels in Germany and Austria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tea Products

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

RTD Iced Tea Production (AFAFABAD), Instant Tea, Tea Extracts & Concentrates Manufacturing (AFAFADAH), Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)

Keywords

• Tea manufacturing
• Herbal tea blends
• Organic tea products
• Tea capsule systems
• Foodservice tea supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Tea Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of tea products through the company's online shop, including various tea varieties (fruit tea, herbal tea, black tea, green tea, etc.), tea accessories, and the TEALOUNGE capsule system.
2. B2B/Gastronomie Sales: Sales of tea products to the hospitality and foodservice industry, including professional-grade tea products for hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
3. Factory Outlet (Werksverkauf): Direct sales of the full TEEKANNE product range, Gastronomie articles, Austrian products, and tea accessories through the company's factory outlet in Düsseldorf.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TEEKANNE manufactures and sells a broad portfolio of tea products — fruit, herbal, black, green, chai, rooibos, white, and specialty origin teas — along with organic/Bio lines, the TEALOUNGE capsule brewing system, frio cold-brew teas, tea lattes, children's teas, and tea accessories. Products are sold to consumers via the company's own e-commerce shop and Düsseldorf factory outlet, and to hospitality businesses via a dedicated gastro/foodservice B2B channel, with shipping within Germany and Austria.

Product overview

TEEKANNE is a German tea company founded in 1882, offering a diverse portfolio of tea products across multiple categories and sub-brands. The core product lines include fruit teas (Früchtetee), herbal teas (Kräutertee), black teas (Schwarzer Tee), green teas (Grüner Tee), and specialty varieties like Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Assam, Rooibos, and chamomile. Key product innovations include the frio cold brew system for cold water steeping and the cold & fresh organic tea line featuring fruit-herb combinations without sugar or calories. The company operates the TEALOUNGE System capsule platform for single-serve tea brewing, alongside sub-brands such as BIO Pur, ORGANICS (organic certified), NamasTee (wellness), Selected (premium), 5 CUPS (pyramid bags), and Tea Latte. The portfolio also includes seasonal products (Wintertee), children's teas (Kindertee), and a professional gastro/foodservice division. TEEKANNE maintains sustainability commitments through Rainforest Alliance partnerships and EU organic certification (DE-ÖKO-006).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• frio: A cold-brew tea product line featuring iced tea varieties such as Pfirsich (Peach), Himbeere-Zitrone (Raspberry-Lemon), Yuzu-Minze (Yuzu-Mint), Zitrone (Lemon), Johannisbeere-Zitrone (Currant-Lemon), and Pfirsich-Maracuja (Peach-Passionfruit).
• fresh
• cold & fresh
• TEALOUNGE System
• BIO Pur
• NamasTee
• 5 CUPS
• Selected
• ORGANICS
• Bio Wintertees

Products and services

• Früchtetee (Fruit tea) Fruit tea blends featuring hibiscus, dried fruits, and aromatic flavors; sold to individual consumers through the TEEKANNE online shop and to hospitality businesses through the gastro/foodservice channel.
• Kräutertee (Herbal tea) Herbal tea blends made from medicinal herbs and plants; consumer and B2B hospitality tea offering.
• Schwarzer Tee (Black tea) Black tea varieties including classic blends and premium origins; the first Rainforest Alliance certified TEEKANNE product was the black tea 'Nero'.
• Grüner Tee (Green tea) Green tea varieties from various origins.
• Bio Tee (Organic tea) Organic certified tea products meeting EU organic regulations under certification DE-ÖKO-006.
• frio – kalt aufgießen (cold brew) Cold brew tea products designed to be steeped in cold water, offering refreshing iced tea options in various fruit flavors for individual consumers.
• cold & fresh Organic cold brew tea line combining citrus flavors with herbs in bio-quality, sugar-free and calorie-free, for individual consumers.
• TEALOUNGE System Kapseln Capsule-based tea brewing platform with compatible capsules and machines in Home Edition and Professional Edition, sold to consumers and professional hospitality buyers.
• Gastro & Foodservice tea range Professional-grade tea products and accessories tailored for hotels, restaurants, cafés, and other hospitality businesses; sold through TEEKANNE's B2B Gastro & Foodservice division.
• Tea Latte Tea-based latte beverages combining tea with milk; sub-brand for consumers seeking milk-based tea drinks.
• Kindertee (Children's tea) Specially formulated tea products targeted at children.
• Teezubehör (Tea accessories) Tea accessories including teapots, cups, and brewing equipment sold alongside TEEKANNE's tea products.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011TEEKANNE has partnered with Rainforest Alliance since 2011. The company was the first tea company in Germany to introduce Rainforest Alliance certified tea products, bringing more sustainability to German shelves. The partnership focuses on sustainable sourcing of raw materials, with the first certified product being the black tea 'Nero'.
• German Tea Association (Deutscher Teeverband)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEEKANNE participates in the German Tea Association's complaint channel for human rights and environmental concerns in the supply chain. The association has appointed an external counsel (Ombudsmann) to handle incoming reports anonymously and confidentially.
• DHLminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDHL is used as the logistics and shipping partner for order delivery, as indicated by the DHL logo on the website footer.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Celestial Seasonings (Hain Celestial): US herbal and specialty tea brand owned by Hain Celestial Group. Comparable to TEEKANNE in herbal and wellness tea categories, though operating primarily in North American retail.
• Pickwick (JDE Peet's): Tea brand owned by JDE Peet's, the world's largest pure-play coffee and tea group. Competes with TEEKANNE in bagged fruit and herbal teas across German grocery, leveraging a much broader multinational portfolio.
• Twinings (Associated British Foods): Long-established British tea brand within AB Foods' portfolio, with premium and mainstream offerings. Comparable to TEEKANNE's premium lines (e.g., Selected, Darjeeling) and broader black/green tea portfolio.
• Lipton (Unilever): Global mass-market tea brand within Unilever's portfolio. A direct competitor in mainstream black and green tea categories where TEEKANNE also participates, with substantially greater scale and international reach.

Direct peers

• Bigelow Tea: Family-owned US tea company with a wide portfolio of bagged teas, including specialty, organic, and cold-brew lines. Closely comparable to TEEKANNE in family-owned, multi-line branded tea strategy.
• Yogi Tea: German-founded functional and herbal tea brand, now distributed globally, with deep D2C and grocery presence. Directly comparable to TEEKANNE's wellness-oriented lines such as NamasTee and Harmonie für Körper & Seele.
• TeeGschwendner: A leading German specialty tea retailer and brand, operating both e-commerce and a large chain of physical tea shops across Germany. Direct overlap with TEEKANNE in premium loose-leaf and bagged tea for the German consumer market.
• Messmer (A. Messmer GmbH): Long-established German tea brand with a broad portfolio of fruit, herbal, and black teas sold through German retail. Closely comparable to TEEKANNE in product mix, channel focus, and positioning in the German tea category.

Emerging players

• Pukka Herbs: UK-based organic herbal tea brand with strong D2C and European grocery presence. Comparable to TEEKANNE's BIO Pur, ORGANICS, and cold & fresh lines in the organic/wellness tea segment.
• Traditional Medicinals: US-based herbal wellness tea brand focused on functional and organic teas. Overlaps with TEEKANNE's wellness and BIO/organic sub-brands (NamasTee, Harmonie für Körper & Seele, ORGANICS).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Pinterestpinterest.com/teekanne
• Facebookfacebook.com/TEEKANNE.Deutschland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teekanne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 TEEKANNE