What Joe's Tea does

Joe's Tea is a UK-based organic tea brand founded in 2011 and operating as a subsidiary of B Corp-certified English Tea Shop. The company sells premium organic teas in pyramid-bag format — including loose-leaf-equivalent 15-bag packs at entry pricing around £4.20 — alongside a Subscribe & Save subscription program and a single-serve matchbox format purpose-built for hotels. Customers span individual D2C tea drinkers, organic and sustainability-minded consumers, family buyers via the Parent & Child initiative, and hospitality operators including at least one named hotel account (Artist Residence Hotels).

The company's underlying product is a certified-organic tea range backed by multiple third-party validations: 39 Great Taste Awards, Soil Association Organic certification, USDA Organic and Ecocert certifications, B Corp status (via parent), and Carbon Neutral certification. Beyond retail SKUs, Joe's Tea has invested upstream in the Bio Foods bio-fertiliser production facility, scaling capacity from approximately 150 to 500 tons, which hardens the organic supply chain and provides a competitive moat against non-vertically-integrated competitors.

The business model combines B2C e-commerce, a recurring subscription tier (£3.57 per 4-week cycle at entry pricing), and B2B wholesale into the hospitality sector. Go-to-market leverages a partnership with the Sustainable Restaurant Association for channel reach into restaurants and hotels, alongside traditional online direct retail. Revenue is generated through pack sales, subscription recurring revenue, and hospitality wholesale contracts, with no enterprise-tier pricing disclosed and limited concentration in named B2B accounts.

Name

Joe's Tea

Legal name

Joe's Tea Company Ltd

Website

https://joesteacompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Joe's Tea is a UK-based certified-organic tea brand selling pyramid-bag teas, a Subscribe & Save subscription, and a hospitality single-serve matchbox via D2C e-commerce and B2B wholesale to hotels and restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Organic Tea

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods (5190)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Functional Foods & Wellness Beverage Retail (Kombucha, Adaptogens, CBD where legal) (CRAHAEAH)

Keywords

• Organic whole leaf tea
• Wholesale tea supply
• Tea subscription service
• Herbal fruit infusions
• Biodegradable pyramid bags

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Tea Sales: One-time purchase of individual tea products including pyramid bags (15 or 100 count), glass storage jars, and matchbox single-serve options. Products include black teas, green/white teas, herbal and fruit infusions.
2. Subscription Service: Subscribe & Save program offering 15% discount on recurring deliveries. Subscribers can choose delivery frequency (4, 6, 8, or 12 weeks), with ability to skip, pause, or cancel anytime. Includes free shipping on all subscription orders.
3. Wholesale B2B: Bulk supply to hotels, cafés, restaurants, and retail outlets. Includes catering-size biodegradable pyramid bags, teaware, and retail-ready packaging. Targeted at hospitality sector for guest rooms and food service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Joe's Tea sells an award-winning range of 100% organic whole-leaf teas packaged in plant-based biodegradable pyramid bags, including black, green, white, herbal, and fruit-infusion blends. Products are sold directly to consumers via the brand's e-commerce site and Subscribe & Save subscription, and through a B2B wholesale channel supplying catering-size pyramid bags, single-serve matchboxes, and teaware to hotels, cafes, restaurants, and retail stockists.

Product overview

Joe's Tea is an award-winning organic tea brand offering a unified portfolio of premium tea products centered around whole-leaf pyramid bag formats. The core offering spans black teas (Ever-So-English Breakfast, Ever-So-English Everyday, Ever-So-English Decaf, The Earl of Grey), green and white teas (Queen of Green, Jasmine's Green Glory), and herbal/fruit infusions (Proper Peppermint, Sweet Chamomile, Rest-Repeat Rooibos, The Berry Best, St. Clement's Lemon, Feisty Turmeric Guru, Chocca-Roo-Brew). Products are sold in multiple formats: 15-pyramid bag retail packs, 100-pyramid bag bulk refills, single-serve matchboxes for hospitality, and glass storage jars. The company operates a subscription service (Subscribe & Save) providing 15% off with free shipping on recurring deliveries. A wholesale program supplies hotels, restaurants, cafes, and retail partners with catering-size quantities and teaware. All teas are 100% organic certified, sourced directly from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) for core teas and ethically from various global regions for herbal ingredients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ever-So-English Breakfast tea bags Organic black Ceylon tea with a delicate, floral, and refreshing flavour, sold in 15-pack or 100-pack pyramid bag sizes; aimed at everyday premium tea drinkers.
• Ever-So-English Everyday tea bags Smooth, full-bodied black tea blend combining Ceylon and Assam teas for a quick-brew all-day drinking experience, sold in pyramid bag format.
• Ever-So-English Decaf tea bags CO2-decaffeinated smooth black tea that uses a gentle process to retain flavour while removing caffeine, sold in pyramid bag format.
• The Earl of Grey tea bags Organic black tea fragranced with natural bergamot oil in an elegant and refreshing blend, sold in pyramid bag format.
• Queen of Green tea bags Light and smooth organic green tea from Sri Lanka, lighter than gunpowder blends with antioxidant and health-benefit positioning.
• Jasmine's Green Glory tea bags Delicate organic green tea lightly fragranced with natural jasmine oil, creating a smooth and exotic blend in pyramid bag format.
• Proper Peppermint tea bags Pure organic peppermint leaves sourced from Egypt, sold as a caffeine-free herbal infusion with refreshment and digestive-benefit positioning.
• Sweet Chamomile tea bags Organic chamomile flowers sourced from Egypt, sold as a caffeine-free herbal infusion with a sweet and soothing taste profile.
• Rest-Repeat Rooibos tea bags Organic South African rooibos (redbush) from a single estate, naturally caffeine-free with a smooth and full-bodied flavour.
• The Berry Best tea bags Caffeine-free fruit infusion with hibiscus, apple, spearmint, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries sourced from North Africa and Europe.
• St. Clement's Lemon tea bags Citrus herbal infusion with lemongrass, ginger, and orange peel sourced from Sri Lanka, creating a zesty and warming caffeine-free blend.
• Feisty Turmeric Guru tea bags Spicy Ayurvedic-inspired blend of ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, liquorice, and clove sourced from Sri Lanka and Spain.
• Chocca-Roo-Brew tea bags Organic rooibos with cacao nibs and vanilla pods sourced from South Africa, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, naturally caffeine-free with a chocolate flavour profile.
• Discovery packs (The Classic Five, Joe's Favourites, Herbal Heaven) Curated selection boxes introducing customers to multiple tea varieties across black, green, herbal, and caffeine-free categories, available with promotional 40% off pricing and used as gifts and discovery packs.
• Single-serve Matchboxes Single-serve individually boxed tea bags targeted at hotel rooms, hospitality amenities, goodie bags, and gifts, available across the main tea varieties in branded matchbox-style packaging.
• Subscribe & Save subscription service Recurring tea delivery subscription offering 15% off retail pricing plus free shipping, with flexible delivery cadence of every 4, 6, 8, or 12 weeks and ability to skip, pause, or cancel at any time.
• Wholesale tea program B2B wholesale program offering biodegradable pyramid tea bags in catering-size quantities, teaware, and retail-ready packaging to hotels, cafes, restaurants, and retail stockists globally.
• Teaware and glass storage jars Contemporary teaware including teapots and display jars for hospitality customers serving pyramid tea bags, alongside reusable glass storage jars sold empty or bundled with 15 or 100 pyramid bag packs across all tea varieties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39 Great Taste Awards across tea range
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Centre for Child Rights and BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Awarded Mother & Child Friendly Seal recognizing the Parent & Child Benefit Programme. This partnership validates Joe's Tea's commitment to supporting working parents and children in their supply chain through the initiative supporting farmer families in Sri Lanka.
• Sustainable Restaurant AssociationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Approved supplier and member of Food Made Good community since 2016. Joe's Tea is recognized as a sustainable choice for SRA members committed to better food systems.
• The Sri Lanka Climate FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon neutral certification partnership. The Sri Lanka Climate Fund verified Joe's Tea as carbon neutral against globally accepted ISO 14025:2006 and ISO 14064-1:2008 standards for product and organization respectively. This partnership supports the company's sustainability credentials and environmental responsibility commitments.
• English Tea ShopcoreOthersParent company of Joe's Tea Co. English Tea Shop is B Corp certified with a B Impact Assessment score of 132.2. Joe's Tea operates as part of this group, carrying B Corp certification and sharing sustainability values and impact reporting.
• Bio Foods Farming SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoe's Tea invested in the construction of a concrete mixing floor for Bio Foods' certified organic bio-fertiliser production facility in Sri Lanka, eliminating soil contamination risk and increasing capacity from 150 to 500 tons.
• Pasanka PVTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplied tube wells to combat drought in Welipanna village, Hambantota district, Sri Lanka. Vegetables and paddy farmers received groundwater access to overcome insufficient water during drought periods.
• Maarji Natural Herbals PVTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided water pumps, farming equipment, and irrigation systems for vanilla cultivation in Dambulla and Naula. Supports farmers cultivating multiple crops in dry areas to increase yield and keep up with organic vanilla demand.
• Love Care ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity set up with business partners in Sri Lanka to ensure sustainability across the supply chain by investing in education, training, and production increase projects. Over 35 bespoke projects implemented through this initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Teapigs: UK premium tea brand specializing in whole-leaf pyramid tea bags with strong DTC and food service presence. Direct overlap with Joe's Tea on pyramid bag format, hospitality channel, and premium positioning; comparable size bracket in UK specialty tea.
• Pukka Herbs: UK-based premium organic herbal and tea brand sold DTC, through subscription, and via grocery and food service. Highly comparable to Joe's Tea in product positioning (organic, herbal infusions, ethical sourcing) and channel mix, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• Republic of Tea: US-based premium DTC tea brand offering organic herbal, black and green teas via subscription and e-commerce. Closely comparable to Joe's Tea on premium organic positioning, DTC subscription model, and curated product assortment.
• Numi Organic Tea: US premium organic tea brand with broad DTC, grocery, and food service distribution. Comparable to Joe's Tea on 100% organic positioning, ethical sourcing story, and broad product range spanning black, green, herbal and specialty blends.
• Heath & Heather: UK herbal tea brand with strong grocery and health-food distribution. Comparable to Joe's Tea on herbal infusion category, organic positioning, and UK retail footprint.
• Whittard of Chelsea: UK specialty tea retailer with strong DTC e-commerce and high-street presence, offering premium loose-leaf teas and pyramid bags. Overlaps with Joe's Tea on product format, gifting, and customer demographic.
• Clipper Tea: UK organic and Fairtrade tea brand with broad grocery distribution. Comparable to Joe's Tea on organic credentials and ethical sourcing story, but with much greater scale and mainstream retail penetration.

Broad incumbents

• T2 Tea: Premium specialty tea retailer with strong DTC, retail, and food service presence across Australia, UK and other markets. Comparable on product format (loose leaf and pyramid bags), gifting, and hospitality channel strategy.
• Twinings: Iconic UK tea incumbent with broad grocery, food service and hospitality distribution. Comparable as a competitor in the same end-market but vastly larger scale and broader product portfolio; recently expanding organic and sustainable sub-lines that compete directly with Joe's Tea's positioning.
• Yorkshire Tea: Major UK tea brand (owned by Bettys & Taylors) with deep grocery presence and growing food service channel. Operates in the same end-market as Joe's Tea with a more mainstream price point; relevant for assessing competitive pricing pressure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/joesteaco
• Xx.com/joesteaco
• Facebookfacebook.com/JoesTeaCo

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Joe's Tea