Birchall Tea
Birchall Tea is a UK specialty tea producer and DTC retailer, sourcing primarily from East Africa and operating the UK's first fully solar-powered tea factory, selling premium teas to consumers via e-commerce and subscriptions, with wholesale distribution through Waitrose, Ocado, and British Airways.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Birchall Tea does
Birchall Tea is a UK-based specialty tea producer and retailer operating under the legal entity Imporient (U.K.) Limited. The company sources teas predominantly from East Africa, including Rwanda (near Virunga National Park) and Kenya's Great Rift Valley, with additional single-origin lines from India (Darjeeling, Assam), China, Taiwan, and South Africa. It runs a portfolio of approximately twenty SKUs spanning black, green, oolong, and fruit and herbal infusions, available in Prism, Everyday, and Tagged plant-based tea bag formats as well as loose leaf. Its flagship Great Rift Breakfast Blend has won the Great Taste Award for 15 consecutive years (2011-2025), which underpins the brand's premium positioning.
Production is concentrated at the company's Wiltshire factory, described as the UK's first fully solar-powered tea factory, generating 846,252 kWh and reportedly producing twice the electricity it consumes. All tea bags and packaging are plant-based and industrially compostable, and the company operates a carbon-neutral delivery model supported by verified reforestation offset partnerships. The factory holds BRCGS, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, and Ethy Verified certifications, providing the compliance backbone for both grocery and enterprise sales.
Birchall operates a hybrid go-to-market. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce via its UK website is the primary channel, supplemented by a subscription service offering 5-15% discounts on monthly, bi-monthly, and quarterly cadences with Stripe and PayPal recurring billing. Wholesale distribution covers UK grocery (Waitrose, Ocado) and a single high-visibility enterprise account (British Airways in-flight tea service). International DTC shipping is fulfilled via Royal Mail and UPS to Ireland, Europe, the USA, and Rest of World. Pricing across the range runs from approximately £5.55 to £45.65 per unit, with a referral programme (FRIENDS5) and BRITA cross-promotion partnership supporting acquisition. The company employs 11-50 people, is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, and traces its ownership to the Graham family across five generations.
Birchall Tea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Birchall Tea
- Legal name
- Imporient (U.K.) Limited
- Website
- https://birchalltea.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Birchall Tea is a UK specialty tea producer and DTC retailer, sourcing primarily from East Africa and operating the UK's first fully solar-powered tea factory, selling premium teas to consumers via e-commerce and subscriptions, with wholesale distribution through Waitrose, Ocado, and British Airways.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Birchall Tea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Tea
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)
- 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 Birchall Tea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Birchall Tea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Tea Product Sales: Primary revenue from selling packaged tea products directly to consumers through e-commerce website. Products sold in various formats including tea bags (Prism, Everyday, Tagged) and loose leaf tea.
- Subscription Service: Recurring subscription model offering automatic deliveries at regular intervals (monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly) with up to 15% discount. Payments processed through Stripe and PayPal.
- Trade/Wholesale: B2B wholesale supply to retailers and hospitality businesses including British Airways, Waitrose, and Ocado.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | One-time purchase with standard pricing |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription with monthly billing - maximum discount |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Subscription with bi-monthly billing - moderate discount |
| Subscription | Annual | Subscription with quarterly billing - minimum discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | UK Delivery |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Referral Discount |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Birchall Tea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Birchall Tea produces and sells a range of premium branded teas — including black, green, fruit/herbal, and oolong varieties — in loose-leaf and bagged formats. The company sells directly to consumers through its own online store and supplies trade customers (hotels, restaurants, cafés, airlines, retailers) through a dedicated wholesale channel under its parent entity Imporient (U.K.) Limited.
Product overview
Birchall Tea is a UK-based tea company offering a diverse portfolio of premium teas across multiple categories: Black Teas (including flagship Great Rift Breakfast Blend, Virunga Earl Grey, Afternoon Tea, Chai, Serengeti, Darjeeling, Assam, Lapsang Souchong, and 1872 Heritage Blend), Green Teas (Mao Feng, Jasmine Tea Pearls, Green Tea & Peach, Green Tea & Mint), Fruit & Herbal Infusions (Camomile, Lemongrass & Ginger, Peppermint, Red Berry & Flower, Redbush, Lemon Verbena), and Oolong tea. Products are available in multiple formats: Prism Tea Bags, Everyday Tea Bags, Tagged Tea Bags, and Loose Leaf Tea. The company also offers tea subscription services with automatic deliveries, bundled gift sets like Morning/Noon/Night and Collection boxes, and accessories including BRITA water filters and tea ware. The products are sourced from renowned tea regions including East Africa, Rwanda, China, India, South Africa, and Taiwan.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Virunga: Pure origin tea sourced from Rwanda, close to Virunga National Park. 5p from every pack donated to save Virunga National Park.
- Great Rift
- 1872 Heritage Blend
- Birchall Darjeeling
- Birchall Assam
Products and services
- Birchall Black Tea
Quantifiable outcome
- 846,252 kWh of solar power generated, exceeding factory needs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Birchall Tea
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Birchall Tea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Birchall Tea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Rainforest AlliancecoreCertification partnership ensuring tea is sourced from Rainforest Alliance certified estates meeting environmental, social, and economic sustainability standards.
- FairtradecoreFairtrade certification ensuring ethical sourcing practices and fair compensation for tea growers and workers in developing regions.
- BRCGScoreBRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standards) certification for food safety and quality management in their tea factory.
- Ethy VerifiedminorEthy Verified certification for sustainable and ethical business practices, validating their environmental credentials.
- Tusk Wildlife CharitycoreCharitable partnership where Birchall donates 5p from every Virunga product pack to help save Virunga National Park and protect mountain gorillas and other wildlife.
- Virunga National ParkcoreAfrica's oldest national park in DRC. Birchall supports conservation efforts through donations from Virunga product sales.
- Verified Reforestation ProjectsminorPartnership with verified reforestation projects around the world to achieve carbon neutral delivery through carbon offsetting.
- StripecorePayment processing provider for secure subscription and one-time payments on the e-commerce platform.
- PayPalcorePayment processing provider for secure subscription and one-time payments on the e-commerce platform.
- Royal MailcoreUK delivery partner for standard parcels under 2kg. Used for domestic UK orders and international shipments to Republic of Ireland and Europe.
- UPScoreInternational courier partner for heavier shipments and worldwide deliveries including Europe, USA, and Rest of World destinations.
- BRITAminorWater filtration brand partnership. Birchall recommends BRITA filtered water for best tasting results and their tea experts use BRITA filters for tea tasting.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Birchall Tea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Harney & Sons: US-based premium tea company with broad black, green, herbal and iced-tea portfolio plus wholesale hospitality channel; directly comparable as a specialty tea brand selling D2C, through retail, and into hotels and restaurants.
- Teapigs: UK premium whole-leaf tea brand (Tempus Group); a direct competitor in the premium UK tea segment with strong D2C, grocery, and foodservice presence, and a comparable sustainability/differentiation narrative.
- Tetley: One of the UK's largest tea brands (Tata Consumer Products); competes directly with Birchall across grocery, foodservice, and value-tier bagged teas, with overlapping black tea and herbal SKUs.
- Yorkshire Tea: UK heritage tea brand owned by Bettys & Taylors; directly comparable as a premium UK bagged and loose-leaf tea sold through grocery, hospitality, and D2C channels, and the dominant UK bagged-tea brand Birchall competes against on shelf.
- Clipper Tea: UK ethical/ Fairtrade-focused tea brand; closely comparable on sustainability credentials (Fairtrade, organic) and D2C + grocery distribution, competing for the same conscious-consumer segment as Birchall.
- Republic of Tea: US premium tea brand with broad catalogue of bagged and loose-leaf teas, herbs, and gift sets; comparable in product breadth, gifting focus, and D2C-led go-to-market.
- PG Tips: Iconic UK black tea brand (Unilever); a direct competitor on UK grocery shelves and in foodservice, with mass-market pricing that Birchall's premium positioning must differentiate against.
- Twinings: UK heritage tea brand with broad black, green, and herbal portfolio; comparable as a premium-positioned, multi-format tea maker selling into UK grocery, hospitality, and travel retail — overlapping with Birchall's hospitality and airline exposure.
Broad incumbents
- T2 Tea: Specialty tea retailer and brand with owned retail stores and broad portfolio across black, green, and herbal teas; comparable premium positioning and tea-bar / gifting format, though primarily an Australian retailer expanding internationally.
Emerging players
- Hampstead Tea: UK organic and biodynamic specialty tea brand; competes in the same premium ethical tea niche as Birchall with overlapping grocery and specialty retail channels.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Birchall Tea social profiles
Digital presenceBirchall Tea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Birchall Tea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Birchall Tea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Birchall Tea 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 Birchall Tea
What does Birchall Tea do?
Birchall Tea produces and sells a range of premium branded teas — including black, green, fruit/herbal, and oolong varieties — in loose-leaf and bagged formats. The company sells directly to consumers through its own online store and supplies trade customers (hotels, restaurants, cafés, airlines, retailers) through a dedicated wholesale channel under its parent entity Imporient (U.K.) Limited.
Is Birchall Tea a public or private company?
Birchall Tea is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Birchall Tea founded?
Birchall Tea was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Birchall Tea based?
Birchall Tea is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Birchall Tea make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct Tea Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are subscription Service and trade/Wholesale.
Who are Birchall Tea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Harney & Sons, Teapigs, Tetley, Yorkshire Tea, Clipper Tea, Republic of Tea, PG Tips and Twinings. T2 Tea is listed as a broad incumbent. Hampstead Tea is listed as an emerging player.
Does Birchall Tea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Birchall Tea.
What industry is Birchall Tea in?
Birchall Tea's product category is Premium 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.