Our Story

AWARD WINNING TEA

157 Great Taste Awards

PLASTIC FREE PACKAGING

the 1st certified plastic free tea

COMMUNITY

£600k raised for our ethical scheme

in the beginning…

Nick and Louise started teapigs in November 2006 with one mission – to get the nation drinking real tea again.

Back then, things looked a little different. Really great things were happening in coffee however, not-so-great things were happening in tea. Even though we are a nation of tea drinkers, quality tea was hard to come by unless you went somewhere super fancy. We wanted to change all that and make great quality tea accessible, and a whole lot more fun!

And so teapigs was born.

getting started

As many of you may already know, our co-founders Nick and Lou spent good years working at Tetley before they embarked on the teapigs adventure, and their mission to bring quality tea to UK tea lovers. They started the teapigs journey from scratch, dreaming up the blends, building the ikea shelving and operating from a tiny office in Ealing. They secured start up funding from what is now Tata Consumer Products (then Tata Global Beverages) they’ve supported us at arm’s length with the boring (but very important) legal stuff. And we have kept our focus on what matters to us - our products, people, sustainability, and community projects.

teapigs operates out of Pump Alley in Brentford. We’ve nurtured and grown the teapigs brand over the years, being true to our values of quality, sustainability, community… and a frankly obsessive love of amazing tea. All of which was cemented in 2019 when we were certified as a B Corporation - joining a community that considers people, environment and profit in equal measure when making business decisions.

our beliefs (every business needs them!)

We know that doing small things better can make a big difference. That first cuppa in the morning? Game changer!

That’s why we make a big thing about real, quality tea, sourced sustainably, in packaging that’s better for the environment. We give back to the communities that bring us our tea. We do our best to take care of the people that make it all happen. And try not to take ourselves too seriously along the way. No airs. No graces. Just fine tea.

We only source the best quality tea leaves, berries, herbs and spices. 100% natural with no artificial flavourings.

We source from sustainable estates and we were the 1st tea company to be certified Plastic-Free.

We give back to the communities that bring us our tea and our local community in Brentford. We have our own ethical scheme that gives back to vulnerable young people in Gisenyi, Rwanda.

our tea

Given that it makes up most of our name – it’s safe to say we love tea. We particularly love real tea. By real tea, we mean top quality tea leaves, whole herbs, whole berries, whole spices, whole flowers ...you get the picture.

It's all about the flavour. The tea in regular tea bags has been squashed, chopped and manhandled so, by the time it reaches your cup, almost all the flavour is lost. We don't think that's very nice.

We select top quality ingredients and keep them big and whole for BIG flavour... simple!

our tea temple

We think the teabag was an inspired idea – one of the greatest inventions before (and since) sliced bread. But you can’t fit whole leaf tea in regular paper teabags. And not everyone has the time to make loose tea the ‘proper' way, what with all the pot warming, deciding who will be mother etc.

And so the tea temple was born – a roomy, biodegradable mesh bag, which offers all the space whole leaves need to release their big, bold, beautiful flavour. Loose tea – without the fuss! (although we do have loose tea as well, if you like a bit of fuss).

teapigs today

You’ll find teapigs in lovely cafes and delis, food halls and grocers, hotels and restaurants up and down the country… and in over 40 countries too! We have an office in Brentford, (kinda) West London and an office in Brooklyn, New York too. Our teas have won 152 Great Taste Awards, we’ve been voted best brand 4 times by independent retails and we have a team of over 30 brilliant teapigs.

We still love to see photos of our tea out and about, so if you spot us, please do share @teapigs #teapigs.