BRODIES
Brodies is a 158-year-old Scottish tea, coffee, and handmade chocolate merchant serving UK hospitality businesses, specialty retailers, and direct consumers, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group since 2007.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1867
- HeadquartersMusselburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What BRODIES does
Brodies (legal name: Brodie Melrose Drysdale & Co Ltd, company no. SC201590) is a 158-year-old Scottish tea and coffee merchant founded in Edinburgh in 1867 and currently operating from a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Musselburgh. The company's core activity is the import, blending, and roasting of tea and coffee, executed through traditional artisan drum-roasting on Probat equipment and master-blender-led small-batch production. The product portfolio spans loose-leaf and bagged teas (including black, green, herbal, pyramid, and tag-and-envelope formats), single-origin and blended coffees (Fairtrade-certified from Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, Kenya, Guatemala), award-winning handmade chocolates (since 1993, with Scottish-themed and whisky-infused variants), and gift items such as Dundee Cake and shortbread.
Brodies serves three primary segments: UK hospitality businesses (hotels, cafes, restaurants, food service operators) supplied via a national team of area sales managers; specialty food retailers (farm shops, delis, garden centres, gift shops) across Scotland and the UK; and discerning consumers purchasing through the company's e-commerce storefront. Complementary revenue streams include the sale, rental, and lease of commercial coffee equipment (espresso, bean-to-cup, filter, capsule systems) and a barista training programme run from a purpose-built training centre.
Since 2007 Brodies has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Italian Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, which provides global distribution reach to 40+ countries. The company has been Fairtrade-licensed since 1998, SALSA-certified, and a member of the UK Tea & Infusions Council since 1979. Pricing across the consumer range is unit-based (£3.42–£13.53 per SKU), with coffee machines offered through outright purchase, service rental, or lease-purchase finance arrangements.
BRODIES firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BRODIES
- Legal name
- Brodie Melrose Drysdale & Co Ltd
- Website
- https://brodies1867.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1867
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Brodies is a 158-year-old Scottish tea, coffee, and handmade chocolate merchant serving UK hospitality businesses, specialty retailers, and direct consumers, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group since 2007.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BRODIES industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Tea & Coffee
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Retail Bakeries (311811)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050), Cookies & Crackers (2052)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE), Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)
Keywords
Where BRODIES is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Musselburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
BRODIES business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- Tea and Coffee Product Sales: Sale of proprietary tea blends, coffee beans, and handmade chocolates through B2B and e-commerce channels. Includes Fairtrade certified products.
- Coffee Machines and Equipment: Sale and rental of coffee brewing equipment including traditional espresso machines, bean-to-cup, filter/bulk brew, capsule machines, grinders, and hot chocolate machines. Offers outright purchase, service rental, and lease purchase options.
- Barista Training Services: Coffee school and barista training programmes including on-site training, purpose-built training centre for larger groups, and regular coffee quality audits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dundee Cake - 315g traditional Scottish fruit cake |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Scottish Berries chocolate box - 8's and 16's |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Finest Kenya Coffee - 227g ground coffee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fairtrade Colombian Coffee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Chai Masala tea - 20 tag & envelope bags |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Earl Grey Pyramid gift tin - 15 biodegradable pyramid bags |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tea Selection Tin - 60 tag & envelope tea bags |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Famous Edinburgh Tea Drum - 50 x 2.5g tea bags |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Brodies Shortbread - traditional Scottish hand-baked |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | UK Mainland Delivery |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Coffee Machine Purchase Options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
BRODIES product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brodies is a Scottish tea and coffee merchant founded in 1867 that roasts coffee beans and blends teas using artisan drum roasting with Probat roasters. The company sells tea, coffee, handmade chocolates, Scottish cakes and shortbread, commercial coffee machines, and barista training services through B2B channels (hospitality, hotels, food service) and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront.
Product overview
BRODIES is a 150-year-old Scottish tea and coffee merchant offering a diversified product portfolio centred on four core categories: teas (loose leaf, pyramid bags, tag & envelope formats), artisan-roasted coffees (single estate and bespoke blends), award-winning handmade chocolates, and gift items including traditional Scottish cakes and shortbread. The company also provides complementary coffee machine equipment (espresso, bean-to-cup, filter, capsule systems) and trade service solutions including barista training programmes. Products are available for consumer direct purchase online and through trade/catering channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tea Imported and blended quality teas including black tea, green tea, infusions, pyramid bags, and tag & envelope formats, sourced from India, Africa, Sri Lanka, and China. Sold to hospitality businesses and individual consumers.
- Coffee Artisan-roasted coffee beans sourced globally including Fairtrade Colombian, Kenya, Guatemala, single estate and bespoke blend options, roasted in small batches daily using Probat drum roasters. Sold to hospitality businesses and consumers.
- Handmade Chocolates Award-winning handmade chocolates featuring Scottish-themed flavours including whisky-infused varieties, Scottish berries, and Scottish dessert-inspired centres encased in Belgian chocolate. Sold to consumers and gift retailers.
- Gifts (Cakes & Shortbread)
Quantifiable outcome
- Fairtrade products account for approximately one third of total sales
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use BRODIES
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BRODIES technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
BRODIES partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Massimo Zanetti Beverage GroupcoreIn 2007 Brodies became part of the Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, enabling worldwide distribution. Massimo Zanetti's mission was to produce and supply great coffee globally. Brodies Teas are now sold through the group to over 40 countries.
- Fairtrade FoundationcoreBrodies was an early adopter of Fairtrade, becoming Fairtrade licensees in 1998, one of the most widely recognised and trusted certification marks in the UK. They roast Fairtrade coffees from Colombia, Brazil and Honduras.
- UK Tea & Infusions CouncilcoreBrodies became members of the UK Tea Council in 1979, now the UK Tea & Infusions Council, which founded the Tea Grading System.
- The Elephant HousecoreLong-term supplier for over 20 years. Initially offered Mzuzu Malawian coffee exclusively to The Elephant House, a landmark Edinburgh cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote early Harry Potter books.
- Mamie Martin FundminorScotland Street Coffee donations support the Mamie Martin Fund, a Scottish charity funding girls' secondary education in Malawi.
- SALSA (Small and Local Supplier Approval)coreBrodies adheres to SALSA who regularly conducts independent inspections to ensure compliance with food safety standards.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BRODIES competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Bewley's Coffee: Irish heritage tea and coffee merchant with flagship café heritage, supplying retail and hospitality across Ireland and the UK. Comparable heritage coffee-and-tea proposition but primary geographic market is Ireland rather than Scotland/UK.
Direct peers
- Twinings: Long-established UK heritage tea brand (1707) with a similar B2B hospitality supply model, broad retail distribution, and an instantly recognisable premium positioning. Direct competitor in UK tea blending and out-of-home tea service.
- Whittard of Chelsea: UK specialty tea, coffee, and hot chocolate retailer with heritage positioning, own-brand gift ranges, physical flagship stores, and a strong e-commerce/DTC channel — closely comparable to Brodies' mix of tea, coffee, chocolate, and gift SKUs.
- Yorkshire Tea (Betty's/own brand via Taylors): Mass-market UK heritage tea brand with strong grocery presence; comparable in heritage positioning and tea blending scale, though positioned more mass-premium than Brodies' specialty/Horeca focus.
- Taylors of Harrogate: Heritage UK tea and coffee merchant (Yorkshire-based) supplying hospitality and retail with branded blends, single-origin coffees, and Fairtrade-certified lines. Comparable premium-heritage positioning, B2B/wholesale distribution, and small-batch artisanal identity.
- Ringtons: Family-owned UK tea and coffee merchant (1907) with a strong heritage brand and B2B hospitality/franchise-coffee-supply operations, including own-brand equipment. Comparable heritage positioning and UK hospitality distribution model.
- Hotel Chocolat: UK premium handmade chocolate brand with similar gifting-led, award-winning positioning, e-commerce and physical retail, and growing foodservice/hospitality supply. Comparable in premium confectionery and Scottish/British provenance-led marketing.
- Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate: Iconic Yorkshire-based tea room and tea merchant pairing premium tea/coffee retail with handmade chocolates and cakes — very similar heritage, in-store retail, and giftable product mix to Brodies.
Others
- Segafredo Zanetti (Massimo Zanetti group brand): Sister brand inside the same parent company (Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group) — global coffee, capsule, and espresso machine brand. Highly comparable product offering and channel mix, but operating in different geographies and customer segments under the same corporate umbrella.
Broad incumbents
- Lavazza: Global Italian coffee roaster and OOH/hospitality supplier (and actually the parent group's competitor in the coffee category). Comparable in coffee roasting, espresso equipment, and foodservice training, but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BRODIES social profiles
Digital presenceBRODIES compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
BRODIES financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BRODIES leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
BRODIES funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BRODIES 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 BRODIES
What does BRODIES do?
Brodies is a Scottish tea and coffee merchant founded in 1867 that roasts coffee beans and blends teas using artisan drum roasting with Probat roasters. The company sells tea, coffee, handmade chocolates, Scottish cakes and shortbread, commercial coffee machines, and barista training services through B2B channels (hospitality, hotels, food service) and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront.
Is BRODIES a public or private company?
BRODIES is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was BRODIES founded?
BRODIES was founded in 1867. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BRODIES based?
BRODIES is headquartered in Musselburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does BRODIES make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tea and Coffee Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are coffee Machines and Equipment and barista Training Services.
Who are BRODIES's main competitors?
Bewley's Coffee is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Twinings, Whittard of Chelsea, Yorkshire Tea (Betty's/own brand via Taylors), Taylors of Harrogate, Ringtons, Hotel Chocolat and Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate. Segafredo Zanetti (Massimo Zanetti group brand) is listed as an others. Lavazza is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does BRODIES have an API?
No public API is recorded for BRODIES.
What industry is BRODIES in?
BRODIES's product category is Specialty Tea & Coffee. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories), with a secondary code of THAFADAE, Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2050.