Jemča a.s.

What Jemča a.s. does

Jemča a.s. is a Czech joint-stock company founded in 1958 and headquartered in Jemnice, Vysočina. It is the largest producer of packaged teas in the Czech Republic, operating a single dedicated production plant that produces approximately 1.3 billion tea bags annually across more than 50 SKU varieties — including black, green, herbal, fruit infusions, and specialty teas. Manufacturing uses both orthodox and CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) processing methods, and the plant is certified to IFS High Level, BIOkont, and RFA/UTZ standards, supporting both retail and private label customers. The company was state-owned under Balírny Obchodu Praha, privatized in 1992, acquired by Britain's Tetley (Tata Group) in 2006, and returned to Czech ownership in 2020 when Dr. Müller Pharma — a leading Czech manufacturer of medicines, medical devices, food supplements, and cosmetics — became the parent company.

The portfolio spans flagship brands JEMČA and PIGI (the long-standing best-selling Czech tea, in production since 1967), along with Viatex (HoReCa/gastro), Balance Life (functional wellness), JEMČA Selection (gift collections), and adjacent PIGI candy SKUs. Product format diversification is a clear operational priority: a modern eco-friendly TRENDY line, pyramid tea bags, loose leaf teas, a cold brew range, and seasonal hot fruit drinks have all been added or refreshed in 2024-2025. Distribution runs through Czech retail, a dedicated hospitality channel (Viatex in 500g/1000g formats), private label/custom production for retailers, and a growing export channel.

The revenue model is split between branded packaged tea sales (one-time purchase at retail) and private label/custom OEM production for retailers. Go-to-market is sales-led, targeting Czech retail buyers and HoReCa accounts through traditional distribution; consumer marketing is muted and limited to a content website, Facebook, and Instagram. Marketing channels are top-of-funnel oriented, with tea catalogues and educational content on tea origins serving as the principal engagement assets; deeper sales motion is run through direct sales for the HoReCa and private label streams. Existing customer concentration disclosure is incomplete — no named enterprise customers are present in the data — but the multi-channel mix (mass retail B2C, fragmented HoReCa, smaller private label accounts) suggests a moderately distributed base rather than anchor-customer dependence.

Name

Jemča a.s.

Legal name

JEMČA a.s.

Website

https://jemca.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jemča a.s. is the largest Czech producer of packaged teas, manufacturing 1.3 billion tea bags annually across 50+ varieties. Founded in 1958 and owned by Dr. Müller Pharma since 2020, it serves Czech retail, HoReCa, private label, and export markets through brands including PIGI and JEMČA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Tea Manufacturing

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Processing (Withering, Rolling, Fermentation, Drying) (AFAFADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea Manufacturing (AFAFADAI), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAGAD), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Packaged tea production
• Tea bag manufacturing
• Private label tea
• Fruit infusion blends
• Herbal tea products

Headquarters

HQ city

Jemnice

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Packaged tea products: Sale of branded packaged teas including black, green, herbal, fruit infusions and specialty teas through retail channels and HoReCa segment.
2. Private label/custom production: Custom production of private labels for retailers and other brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Jemča a.s. is the largest producer of packaged teas in the Czech Republic, manufacturing approximately 1.3 billion tea bags annually at its Jemnice plant. The company produces and packages more than 50 varieties of black, green, herbal, and fruit infusion teas, along with functional, cold brew, and specialty teas under its own brands (JEMČA, PIGI, Viatex, Balance Life) and through private label/custom production services for retailers.

Product overview

Jemča a.s. is the largest Czech packaged tea producer offering a comprehensive portfolio of over 50 tea types across multiple product lines. The core offerings include Green Teas and Black Teas in various flavors and pack sizes; the traditional Pigi sub-brand with PREMIUM variants; traditional and modern Fruit Infusions (TRADITIONAL and TRENDY/MODERN eco-packaged lines); Herbal Teas including single herbs and blends; Functional Teas targeting specific health needs; the wellness-focused BALANCE LIFE TEAS line; COLD BREW cold brew iced teas; Pyramid Teas in premium pyramid bags; loose Tea Leaves; seasonal Hot Fruit drinks; Tea Collections for gifting and seasonal occasions; Gastro products for the hospitality sector; and PIGI Candies sugar-free tea-flavored drops. The company also provides private label/custom production services for retailers. The portfolio is distributed across standard retail packs, gastro formats, and specialty gift/seasonal offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PIGI: Traditional Czech tea brand representing selected tea mixture prepared according to traditional recipe. PIGI has been the long-term best-selling tea in the Czech Republic since 1967.
• Balance Life Teas
• Viatex
• JEMČA Selection

Products and services

• Green Teas Traditional green tea products including pure green tea and flavored variants with lemon, mango, peach, pineapple, and cranberry. Available in standard 20-count packs and 100-count gastro packs for retail and HoReCa.
• Black Teas Black tea offerings including Golden Breakfast, Chinese Tea, Indian Tea, Golden Tea, and Club Tea. Available in various pack sizes including 100-count gastro formats for retail and hospitality.
• Pigi Black Tea Traditional Czech tea brand representing a selected tea mixture prepared according to traditional recipe, with straw brown color of infusion and delicate tea taste. Includes Pigi PREMIUM variants.
• Fruit Infusions (Traditional) Traditional fruit tea infusions including Mango & Strawberry, Apricot, Raspberry and Blackberry, Elderflower with Lemon, Garden Fruits, Lemon with Ginger, Blueberry & Strawberry, Cranberry & Pineapple, and other flavors.
• Fruit Infusions (Trendy/Modern)
• Herbal Teas Herbal tea offerings including Fennel, Herb Selection, Ginger with Orange, Mint, Rose Hip, Melissa, Chamomile, Nettle, Sea-buckthorn with Orange, and Mint with Lemon.
• Functional Teas Functional herbal blends targeting specific health needs: Urological Tea, Herbal Tea 'I'm getting sick', Herbal Tea 'Detox', Herbal Tea 'Stress & Sleep', and Herbal Tea 'Digestion'.
• Balance Life Teas Wellness-focused functional teas including Morning Start (energy and vitality blend), Calm Sleep (relaxation blend with fennel, chamomile and strawberry), and BIO Melissa with Lemon. Features 100% natural composition without artificial flavors.
• Cold Brew Teas
• Pyramid Teas
• Tea Leaves (Loose Tea) Loose leaf teas including Green Tea GUNPOWDER (Chinese green tea with light yellow infusion, pleasantly astringent taste) and Ceylon Tea (golden brown color, delicate aroma and honey taste).
• Hot Fruit Warm fruit infusion drinks for cold weather including Hot Pear with Cinnamon & Clove, Hot Apple with Cinnamon & Star Anise, Hot Raspberry with Cinnamon, and Hot Plum with Cinnamon & Clove.
• Tea Collections & Seasonal Teas Curated tea collections and seasonal offerings including JEMČA Selection (9 bestsellers gift box), Tea Selection JEMČA (Christmas gift), Holiday Selection, Christmas Selection, Advent Calendar, Winter Edition, Winter Tea, and Christmas Tea.
• Gastro Products (Viatex) Products designed for the HoReCa (hotel/restaurant/catering) segment including Viatex Black Tea 500g/1000g, Viatex Fruit Infusion 500g/700g, Viatex Rosehip & Apple 500g, Viatex Blueberry & Strawberry 500g, Viatex Orange 500g, Viatex Red berries 500g, MIX 9 Types of Tea (90 bags), and family pack options.
• PIGI Candies Sugar-free tea-flavored candy drops made from tea extract. Available in Black Tea with Bergamot flavor and Green Tea with Jasmine flavor.
• Private Label / Custom Tea Production Custom private label tea production services for retailers and other brands under their own brands, leveraging the company's tea processing and packaging capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1st place in Consumer Choice survey for Jemča VIVA range of fruit teas in 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dilmah: Sri Lankan single-origin tea producer with a growing European retail and HoReCa presence. Comparable as a vertically integrated, branded packaged tea company emphasizing origin and quality — similar in positioning to Jemča's PIGI Premium and pyramid tea ranges.
• Ahmad Tea: UK-based family-owned tea brand with broad black, green, herbal, and fruit tea ranges sold in 80+ countries. Comparable as a privately held, multi-category packaged tea brand competing for European private-label contracts and retail shelf space.
• Teekanne: German-based packaged tea producer and one of the leading tea brands in Central Europe. Directly comparable as a multi-category packaged tea manufacturer with broad retail and HoReCa distribution across Germany, Austria, and Central Europe, competing for the same regional shelf space as Jemča.

Others

• Emmi Group (formerly Pizzarotti/Te茶 segment): European branded food and beverage group active in adjacent beverage categories. Included as an adjacent comparable illustrating how mid-sized European food/beverage groups consolidate branded tea assets — relevant context for any future Jemča exit or strategic combination.
• Dr. Müller Pharma: Parent company of Jemča and a leading Czech manufacturer of pharma, medical devices, food supplements, and cosmetics. Listed as a related-party peer given cross-portfolio synergies with Jemča's Balance Life functional tea line and shared distribution in Czech pharmacies.

Broad incumbents

• Tetley (Tata Consumer Products): British-origin global tea brand and former owner of Jemča (2006–2020). Comparable as a multi-region packaged tea producer with deep retail penetration; Tetley's prior ownership of Jemča also makes it a direct historical and category peer in Central Europe.
• Twinings (ABF): One of the world's oldest and largest branded tea companies, owned by Associated British Foods. Comparable as a premium and mainstream packaged tea brand with a global retail footprint; competes with Jemča in premium pyramid, black, and green tea segments across European retail.
• Lipton (Unilever): Mass-market global tea brand owned by Unilever, with broad black, green, and herbal tea portfolios. Comparable as the dominant mainstream packaged tea competitor in European grocery, exerting pricing and shelf-space pressure on smaller regional brands like Jemča.

Regional players

• Mlesna (Tea Tang Group): Sri Lankan tea company with branded packaged teas, private label, and HoReCa supply across Europe and Asia. Comparable as a multi-format tea producer (bags, loose leaf, flavoured, functional) competing for European private-label and specialty retail contracts.

Emerging players

• Yorkshire Tea (Betfred/Rillers): British heritage tea brand with strong domestic share and growing international reach. Comparable as a heritage branded black-tea-focused producer with a strong identity-driven marketing approach — a model Jemča emulates with the PIGI brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Jemca.ceska.cajova.jednicka
• Instagraminstagram.com/jemca_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jem%C4%8Da-a-s

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Jemča a.s.