English Tea Shop
English Tea Shop is a UK-incorporated, Sri Lanka-based organic and Fairtrade tea company selling black, green, white, wellness, and gifting teas directly to consumers and through a 48-country trade partner and retail network. It sources directly from 1,428 small-scale farmers and is 30% employee-owned.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What English Tea Shop does
English Tea Shop is a privately held organic and Fairtrade-certified tea company, founded in 2010 and incorporated in the UK as English Tea Shop (UK) Ltd, with operational headquarters in London and production/sourcing operations in Sri Lanka. The company sources tea directly from a network of 1,428 small-scale farmers cultivating 4,680 acres of organically certified land, operating outside the traditional Sri Lankan auction system, and accounts for 29% of Sri Lanka's organic tea exports. Its product portfolio spans black teas (English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Chai), green teas (Jasmine, Pomegranate), white teas, botanical infusions, wellness/super-goodness blends, and an extensive gifting and seasonal range (advent calendars, gift tins, curated selections). All products and facilities hold a dense stack of certifications — Fairtrade, EU Organic, Carbon Neutral, ISO 14001/22001/9001/27001, IFS, BRC, and SMETA — supporting listing with major retailers and travel retail.
The business operates a hybrid go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce through etsteas.store and etsteas.co.uk (with free UK shipping over £25 and a monthly subscription service), alongside a global trade partner network of resellers and retailers across 48 countries — including named listings at Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Spar, Nahdi Medical, Billa, Shanghai Wellgo, and TRM Hong Kong — and a new duty-free outlet at Bandaranaike International Airport opened in February 2025. Unit pricing dominates the revenue model, with entry products at £3.30 (English Breakfast, 20 sachets) and premium gift tins up to £9.99+; bundles offer up to 10% off and a mix-and-match discount of 5%, while the subscription tier provides recurring revenue.
The company's competitive positioning is anchored in its proprietary 'Creating Shared Value' model and 'Prajāva' (community) philosophy, which guide farmer training, fair pricing, and environmental practices. It is 30% employee-owned as of 2021 (transitioning toward majority employee ownership via an ESOP launched in 2020), with 46% female workforce, Open Book Management, and Great Game of Business practices embedded in the culture. The company has no disclosed external investors, no parent company, and no public funding rounds.
English Tea Shop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- English Tea Shop
- Legal name
- English Tea Shop (UK) Ltd
- Website
- https://etsteas.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- English Tea Shop is a UK-incorporated, Sri Lanka-based organic and Fairtrade tea company selling black, green, white, wellness, and gifting teas directly to consumers and through a 48-country trade partner and retail network. It sources directly from 1,428 small-scale farmers and is 30% employee-owned.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
English Tea Shop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Organic Tea
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE), Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where English Tea Shop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
English Tea Shop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Organic Tea Products: Sale of organic and Fairtrade certified teas including black, green, white teas and herbal infusions/tisanes in various formats (pyramid tea bags, sachets, whole leaf tins)
- Tea Gift Products: Sale of curated tea gift collections for various occasions including birthdays, holidays, Mother's Day, and special moments
- Subscription Service: Tea subscription service allowing regular delivery of favourite teas
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual tea products and gift collections |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bundle offers and mix-and-match deals |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription service for regular tea deliveries |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
English Tea Shop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
English Tea Shop produces and sells certified organic and Fairtrade teas — including black, green, white, botanical and wellness tisanes — sourced directly from 1,428 small-scale farmers in Sri Lanka. Products are packaged in pyramid tea bags, sachets and loose-leaf tins and sold through company-owned e-commerce stores (etsteas.co.uk and etsteas.store), a global trade partner network, retail chains, and a tea subscription service.
Product overview
English Tea Shop is a consumer goods company offering organic and sustainable teas with a diverse product portfolio spanning core tea products and gifting solutions. Their core offerings include black teas (English Breakfast, Chai, Earl Grey), green teas (Jasmine, Pomegranate), white teas, botanicals and infusions (Turmeric, Cinnamon, Super Berries), and wellness collections (Sleepy Me, Daily Wellness, Super-Goodness). The product range is organized into everyday teas, super-goodness wellness teas, and wellness teas, complemented by gifting collections including Caring Moments, Holiday Collections, and Advent Calendars. The company emphasizes their tea pyramid bags, tea bag sachets, and whole leaf tea options, with products available in various formats including 15ct, 20ct, and 32-sachet packs. All products are certified organic, Fairtrade, carbon-neutral, and produced in carbon-neutral operational facilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Organic Black Tea A range of organic black teas including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Ceylon Black, Chai Black Tea, and Decaffeinated options, sold in pyramid tea bags and sachets for everyday consumption.
- Organic Green Tea Organic green tea varieties including Jasmine Green Tea and Green Tea with Pomegranate, packaged in pyramid bags for individual consumers.
- Organic White Tea Premium organic white tea selections sold in pyramid tea bags.
- Botanicals and Infusions Caffeine-free herbal and botanical tea infusions including Turmeric (Curcuma), Ginger & Lemongrass, Beetroot Apple & Blueberry, Ceylon Cinnamon, and Super Berries blends.
- Super-Goodness Wellness Teas Health-focused tea blends with enhanced wellness benefits featuring superfood ingredients such as turmeric, ginger, berries and cinnamon.
- Wellness Tea Collection Functional wellness teas including Sleepy Me, Beautiful Me and related blends designed for relaxation, sleep and personal wellbeing.
- English Breakfast Tea
Quantifiable outcome
- 29% of Sri Lanka's organic tea production exported by English Tea Shop
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use English Tea Shop
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
English Tea Shop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
English Tea Shop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Albert HeijncoreMajor Dutch supermarket chain distributing English Tea Shop products across the Netherlands
- JumbocoreDutch supermarket chain and major retailer in the Netherlands stocking organic tea products
- Nahdi Medical CompanycoreLeading healthcare and pharmacy retailer in Saudi Arabia distributing tea products
- Billa (Austria)coreAustrian supermarket chain distributing English Tea Shop products in Austria
- Shanghai Wellgo Trading Co. LtdcoreAsian trade partner distributing English Tea Shop products in China
- Cédric Richard, Nature & Expression (France)coreFrench distribution partner since 2010, first brand in Nature & Expression's portfolio
- Gan Teck Kar Foods (Malaysia/Singapore)coreSoutheast Asian trade partner for Malaysia and Singapore markets
- TRM Company Limited (Hong Kong)coreHong Kong-based trade partner for Asian market distribution
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
English Tea Shop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Traditional Medicinals: Traditional Medicinals is a US-based herbal tea company specializing in wellness and functional teas with organic and Fairtrade certifications. It directly overlaps with English Tea Shop's wellness tea line (Sleepy Me, Beautiful Me) and shares the organic/ethical sourcing brand DNA.
- Teapigs: Teapigs is a UK-based premium tea brand known for its 'tea temples' (pyramid bags) format and whole leaf quality positioning. It directly competes with English Tea Shop on pyramid bag format, premium positioning, and UK/international specialty retail distribution.
- Dilmah: Dilmah is a Sri Lankan family-owned tea company that grows, packages, and sells its own single-origin Ceylon tea globally. It is highly comparable as a vertically integrated Sri Lankan-origin tea brand with ethical sourcing commitments, similar product range (black, green, herbal teas), and global retail distribution including hotels and foodservice.
- Pukka Herbs: Pukka Herbs is a UK-based organic herbal tea brand with comparable premium organic positioning, sustainable sourcing, and wellness-focused blends. Acquired by Unilever in 2017, it represents a direct peer in the premium organic herbal tea segment with similar ethical brand identity and retail channels.
- Numi Organic Tea: Numi Organic Tea is a US-based premium organic tea brand offering a comparable range of black, green, white, and herbal teas with sustainability commitments including Fair Trade and organic certifications. It competes in the same premium organic tea category with similar ethical positioning.
- Republic of Tea: Republic of Tea is a US-based premium tea company offering specialty black, green, herbal, and wellness teas with a focus on healthy living. It is comparable as a premium specialty tea brand with similar wellness positioning and direct-to-consumer plus retail distribution model in the specialty tea segment.
- T2 Tea: T2 Tea is an Australian specialty tea retailer and wholesaler offering premium loose-leaf teas, tea bags, and gifting collections. Acquired by Unilever, it competes directly in the premium specialty tea space with comparable gifting focus and experiential branding, and serves as a model for English Tea Shop's specialty retail ambitions.
- Clipper Teas (Wessanen): Clipper Teas is a UK-based Fairtrade and organic tea brand with comparable ethical sourcing credentials, including Fairtrade certification and direct relationships with tea growers. Owned by Wessanen (later PAI Partners), it competes directly with English Tea Shop in the premium organic tea segment in UK and European retail.
Broad incumbents
- Yorkshire Tea (Bettys & Taylors): Yorkshire Tea is a major UK tea brand with broad supermarket distribution and significant market share in Britain. It is comparable as a UK-based tea brand selling through similar retail channels (Tesco, Sainsbury's, etc.), though it competes more on heritage and everyday value than organic/sustainability credentials.
- Twinings: Twinings (owned by Associated British Foods) is one of the world's oldest and largest tea brands with a broad portfolio spanning black, green, herbal, and specialty teas. It is comparable as a UK-based global tea brand with similar product breadth and retail distribution, though English Tea Shop differentiates through organic/Fairtrade positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
English Tea Shop social profiles
Digital presenceEnglish Tea Shop compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance10 records
English Tea Shop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
English Tea Shop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
English Tea Shop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
English Tea Shop 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 English Tea Shop
What does English Tea Shop do?
English Tea Shop produces and sells certified organic and Fairtrade teas — including black, green, white, botanical and wellness tisanes — sourced directly from 1,428 small-scale farmers in Sri Lanka. Products are packaged in pyramid tea bags, sachets and loose-leaf tins and sold through company-owned e-commerce stores (etsteas.co.uk and etsteas.store), a global trade partner network, retail chains, and a tea subscription service.
Is English Tea Shop a public or private company?
English Tea Shop is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was English Tea Shop founded?
English Tea Shop was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is English Tea Shop based?
English Tea Shop is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does English Tea Shop make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Organic Tea Products are the primary driver. The others are tea Gift Products and subscription Service.
Who are English Tea Shop's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Traditional Medicinals, Teapigs, Dilmah, Pukka Herbs, Numi Organic Tea, Republic of Tea, T2 Tea and Clipper Teas (Wessanen). Broad incumbents are Yorkshire Tea (Bettys & Taylors) and Twinings.
Does English Tea Shop have an API?
No public API is recorded for English Tea Shop.
What industry is English Tea Shop in?
English Tea Shop's product category is Organic Tea. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAG, Tea Blending & Flavoring, with a secondary code of CRADAHAE, Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates). Its NAICS code is 311920.