Twinings

Twinings Of London
Twinings' shop on the Strand in central London was established as a tea room in 1706
Owner Associated British Foods
Country United Kingdom
Introduced 1706 (1706)
Markets Tea
Website www.twinings.co.uk

Twinings /ˈtwaɪnɪŋz/ is an English marketer of tea, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by Associated British Foods. It holds the world's oldest continually-used company logo, and is London's longest-standing ratepayer, having occupied the same premises on the Strand since 1706.[1]

History

The founder of Twinings was Thomas Twining from Painswick, Gloucestershire in England. He opened Britain's first known tea room at No. 216 Strand, London, in 1706; it still operates today.[2] The firm's logo, created in 1787, is the world's oldest in continuous use.[3][4]

Holder of a royal warrant, Twinings has been owned by Associated British Foods since 1964.[5] It sells a variety of regional and flavoured teas such as the smoked Lapsang Souchong, the oil scented black tea Lady Grey, and the partially oxidised Indian tea Darjeeling, as well as infusions, coffee, and hot chocolate. The company is associated with Earl Grey tea, a tea infused with bergamot, though it is unclear when this association began, and how important the company's involvement with the tea has been; Jacksons of Piccadilly, originally a rival of Twinings, but bought up by Twinings in the 1990s, also have associations with the blend.[6]

In 2005, Twinings introduced its first generic, non-speciality tea, under the brand "Everyday Tea". In 2006, it started producing a tinned chocolate drink. In 2007, it also launched a selection of tinned coffees onto the market.

Twinings owns Nambarrie, a tea company based in Belfast and in trade for over 140 years. In April 2008, Twinings announced their decision to close the Nambarrie plant.[7] Twinings said it needed to consolidate its UK manufacturing operations in the face of increasing global competition, and moved some production to China and Poland in late 2011; however, the majority of UK consumed Twinings tea is still produced in their factory in Andover, Hampshire.

The company launched a television advertisement in late 2011 which featured an animation of a woman struggling to row a boat in a storm, with the background song "Wherever You Will Go" by Londoner Charlene Soraia. The song reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Twinings said the advert aimed to metaphorically explain "the hectic lives that women today lead, and how taking just 10 minutes out each day to reconnect with yourself can have such an impact on the rest of your day."[8]

Ethics

Twinings has an ethical programme named 'Sourced with Care', which aims to improve the quality of life in the communities it sources from.[9] Through its Sourced with Care programme, Twinings aims to improve the lives of 500,000 people in its supply chain by 2020 through enhancing livelihoods, enabling life opportunities and improving living standards.[10]

One example of a project that falls under Sourced with Care is Twinings' long-term partnership with Unicef, originated in 2011, to improve the nutrition and protection status of adolescent girls on tea estates in Assam.[11] This project won Twinings a National CSR Award in 2017 in the category of 'International Sustainability Community.'[12] In February 2018 Twinings and Unicef embarked upon Phase III of their partnership to reach even more women and children across tea gardens in Assam.[13]

The company is a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership,[14] a not-for-profit membership organisation of tea-packing companies that works to monitor and improve ethical conditions on tea estates in all major tea growing regions. However, the organisation has been criticised for its "focus on the large-scale producer".[15] Twinings has an Ethical Code of Conduct[16] and works with all its packaging and raw material suppliers to ensure decent working conditions in the supply chain.[17]

Notable members of the Twining family

See also

References

  1. ↑ Winn, Christopher (2007). I Never Knew That About London. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-191857-6.
  2. ↑ Phillips-Evans, James (2012) The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family, Amazon, pp. 244–245
  3. ↑ "History of the Twinings Tea Company". Twinings. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  4. ↑ Standage, Tom (2005). A history of the world in six glasses. New York: Walker. p. 202.
  5. ↑ "MARESI Austria GmbH Österreich website".
  6. ↑ Glyn Hughes. "The Foods of England – Earl Grey Tea". foodsofengland.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Tea Time Over For Nambarrie". Northern Ireland, United Kingdom: 4NI.co.uk Northern Ireland News. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2009. One of Northern Ireland's top teas – and a favourite in Scotland too – is no longer to be packed in central Belfast.
  8. ↑ "Twinings Gets You Back To You: All About Our Advertising". Twinings.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Home | Twinings Sourced With Care". www.sourcedwithcare.com. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  10. ↑ "Home | Twinings Sourced With Care". www.sourcedwithcare.com. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  11. ↑ "Home | Twinings Sourced With Care". www.sourcedwithcare.com. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  12. ↑ "The 2017 Winners and Recognised Projects - National CSR Awards - CSR Awards". CSR Awards. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  13. ↑ "Unicef Phase III Press Release | Twinings Sourced With Care". sourcedwithcare.com. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  14. ↑ "Ethical Tea Partnership – Working for a Responsible Tea Industry". United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  15. ↑ "Ethical shopping guide to Tea". Ethical Consumer. December 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  16. ↑ "Twinings Ovaltine Code of Conduct" (PDF). Twinings.co.uk. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  17. ↑ "Associated British Foods: Corporate responsibility".
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