S.D. Bell
S.D. Bell is a Belfast-based, privately-held tea merchant and coffee roaster founded in 1887, retailing specialty teas, freshly roasted coffees, subscription boxes, and gift ranges to consumers and hospitality businesses across Northern Ireland, the UK, and the Republic of Ireland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1887
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What S.D. Bell does
S.D. Bell (S.D. Bells & Co. Ltd.) is a privately-held specialty tea merchant and coffee roaster founded in 1887 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is positioned as Ireland's oldest independent operator in this category. The company sources tea leaves globally (Assam, Darjeeling, China, Japan, Kenya, Ceylon, rooibos) and coffee beans from origins including Brazil, Kenya, Ethiopia, Jamaica Blue Mountain, Cuba, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Colombia, blending teas and roasting coffees in-house to traditional recipes, with many SKUs holding Great Taste Awards spanning 2013-2020. Its technology stack is fundamentally craft-based — traditional tea blending expertise and fresh coffee roasting — with the one differentiated technical feature being PuriSeal ECO-Pack biodegradable teabags made from PLA-infused wood-pulp paper.
The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market: (1) direct-to-consumer e-commerce shipping across Northern Ireland, the rest of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland with tiered free-shipping thresholds; (2) a physical retail shop and coffee bar at 512-516 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast; (3) wholesale supply to cafes, restaurants, and hospitality businesses; and (4) monthly coffee subscription services at £12-£13 per month. Product pricing spans £3.50-£162 across SKUs, with gift boxes £16-£65 and gift vouchers £10-£50, positioning the brand across mid-market everyday teas (e.g., Belfast Tea) through premium single-origin coffees (Jamaica Blue Mountain). Revenue streams include transactional retail and DTC sales, recurring subscription revenue, wholesale transactional revenue, and seasonal gifting revenue. The company is privately held with no institutional investors identified and operates with a workforce of 11-50 employees.
S.D. Bell firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- S.D. Bell
- Legal name
- S.D. Bells & Co. Ltd.
- Website
- https://sdbellsteacoffee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1887
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- S.D. Bell is a Belfast-based, privately-held tea merchant and coffee roaster founded in 1887, retailing specialty teas, freshly roasted coffees, subscription boxes, and gift ranges to consumers and hospitality businesses across Northern Ireland, the UK, and the Republic of Ireland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
S.D. Bell industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee and Tea
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tea Processing (Withering, Rolling, Fermentation, Drying) (AFAFADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)
Keywords
Where S.D. Bell is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
S.D. Bell business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Online sales of tea and coffee products through company website with direct-to-consumer shipping across UK, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland
- Retail Shop & Coffee Bar: Physical retail location in Belfast serving walk-in customers with tea and coffee products, fresh beverages, and accessories
- Coffee & Tea Subscriptions: Monthly subscription services for medium roast and dark roast coffee choices, delivering freshly roasted coffee straight to customer doors
- Wholesale: B2B sales to cafes, restaurants, and other businesses seeking quality tea and coffee products
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard retail pricing for tea and coffee products |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly coffee subscription service |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift vouchers for gifting |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Wholesale pricing for business customers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
S.D. Bell product offering
Product offeringCore offering
S.D. Bell is a Belfast-based tea merchant and coffee roaster founded in 1887 that sources tea leaves and green coffee beans globally, blends teas and roasts coffee in-house, and sells the resulting specialty teas and coffees via its Belfast shop and coffee bar, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, a wholesale channel for hospitality businesses, and a recurring coffee subscription service. The portfolio spans loose leaf teas, tea bags (including plastic-free ECO-Pack), whole bean and ground coffees in multiple roast profiles, gift boxes, and complementary accessories.
Product overview
S.D. Bell is Ireland's oldest independent tea merchant and coffee roaster, established in Belfast in 1887. The company operates as a physical product retailer specializing in two core categories: premium teas (loose leaf, tea bags, and specialty blends sourced globally) and freshly roasted coffees (single estate and blended coffees from major origins worldwide). Their product portfolio includes core tea and coffee offerings with many Great Taste Award winners, complemented by accessories (Aeropress coffee makers), subscription services for monthly deliveries, seasonal gift boxes, and ECO-Pack plastic-free tea bags. The company also maintains a physical coffee bar and offers wholesale options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tea Products
Quantifiable outcome
- Free shipping on orders over £40 in N. Ireland and £50 in UK/RoI
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use S.D. Bell
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
S.D. Bell technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
S.D. Bell partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
S.D. Bell competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fortnum & Mason: Iconic UK heritage retailer with a significant tea and coffee offering, gift hampers, and physical store presence. Competes directly with S.D. Bell at the premium gifting and specialty tea/coffee end of the market.
- Bewley's: Irish heritage tea and coffee brand with grocery, foodservice and hospitality presence. Most direct geographic peer given overlapping Irish/British market, heritage story, and tea+coffee product range.
- Whittard of Chelsea: UK-based heritage specialty tea and coffee merchant and retailer founded in 1886. Closest analog to S.D. Bell given its combined tea merchant + coffee roaster proposition, physical retail, e-commerce, wholesale, and gift-box business.
- Ringtons: Family-founded UK tea and coffee merchant since 1907 with traditional door-step delivery, e-commerce, and cafe operations. Comparable regional-heritage merchant model with similar scale and product mix.
- Hasbean Coffee: UK specialty coffee roaster focused on single-origin beans, direct trade, and an e-commerce-led model. Comparable artisanal roasting operation targeting specialty coffee enthusiasts, though tea-free.
- Taylors of Harrogate (Bettys & Taylors): Yorkshire-based heritage tea and coffee brand and roaster operating retail tearooms, e-commerce, wholesale, and gift channels. Closely comparable in product breadth (tea and coffee both), heritage positioning, and gifting focus.
Broad incumbents
- Tetley: Tata-owned global tea brand with leading UK tea-bag share. A mainstream competitor across grocery and food-service channels that defines pricing benchmarks S.D. Bell must defend against.
- Yorkshire Tea: Mass-market UK heritage tea brand owned by Bettys & Taylors group. Competes across price points with S.D. Bell's tea SKUs at supermarket and out-of-home channels.
- Twinings: Largest UK heritage tea brand with a global portfolio and far broader distribution. Competes with S.D. Bell in mainstream tea and increasingly in premium coffee, but at vastly larger scale and shelf presence.
- Lavazza: Global Italian coffee roaster with broad retail, capsule, and foodservice distribution. Competes with S.D. Bell across mid- to premium-tier roasted coffees in UK/RoI out-of-home and grocery channels.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
S.D. Bell social profiles
Digital presenceS.D. Bell financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
S.D. Bell leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
S.D. Bell funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
S.D. Bell 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 S.D. Bell
What does S.D. Bell do?
S.D. Bell is a Belfast-based tea merchant and coffee roaster founded in 1887 that sources tea leaves and green coffee beans globally, blends teas and roasts coffee in-house, and sells the resulting specialty teas and coffees via its Belfast shop and coffee bar, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, a wholesale channel for hospitality businesses, and a recurring coffee subscription service. The portfolio spans loose leaf teas, tea bags (including plastic-free ECO-Pack), whole bean and ground coffees in multiple roast profiles, gift boxes, and complementary accessories.
Is S.D. Bell a public or private company?
S.D. Bell is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was S.D. Bell founded?
S.D. Bell was founded in 1887. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is S.D. Bell based?
S.D. Bell is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does S.D. Bell make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Shop & Coffee Bar, coffee & Tea Subscriptions and wholesale.
Who are S.D. Bell's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fortnum & Mason, Bewley's, Whittard of Chelsea, Ringtons, Hasbean Coffee and Taylors of Harrogate (Bettys & Taylors). Broad incumbents are Tetley, Yorkshire Tea, Twinings and Lavazza.
Does S.D. Bell have an API?
No public API is recorded for S.D. Bell.
What industry is S.D. Bell in?
S.D. Bell's product category is Specialty Coffee and Tea. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAF, Tea Processing (Withering, Rolling, Fermentation, Drying), with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 31192 and its SIC code is 2080.