Brand of the month, Finland: Twinings

In 1706 when coffee houses were a popular feature of London life, Thomas Twining purchased Tom’s Coffee House and began the world-famous tea business. Competition between coffee houses was stiff – the difference at Tom’s was the tea. Despite high taxes and opposition from vested interests, tea became increasingly fashionable especially among the upper classes. Soon Thomas Twining was selling more dry tea than wet.

By 1717, Thomas had acquired three adjacent houses and converted them to a shop. TWININGS FLAGSHIP STORE on 216 STRAND exists still today. Back then it was probably the world’s first dry tea and coffee shop.

With a 300-year-history of blending and innovating, Twinings are continually growing the tea market in order to encourage new users to try their teas. Twinings’ Master Blenders have an unrivalled commitment and passion to making great teas. As a company, Twinings has the advantage of not owning any tea gardens, meaning they aren’t tied to specific producers. Because of this, Twinings is free to select the very best quality teas every time.

Twinings believe that everyone has the right to a decent quality of life and wants to make this a reality in the communities where they source their products. “Sourced with Care” is Twinings’ ethical sourcing programme, which ensures that Twinings source responsibly as a company, but also that they act as a force for good to improve quality of life in the communities from which they source around the world. This means eg. work to empower women, improve access to water and sanitation and increase livelihoods for communities in the supply chain.

With a host of Master Blenders and flavour experts, Twinings challenges the status quo of tea. A good example of this is the latest innovation – Twinings Cold Infuse, which is designed for your water bottle. They bring just a hint of flavour to the water, helping you to drink more. It is sugar free and made from natural ingredients. Simply drop, leave, shake and enjoy! In Finland Twinings Cold Infuse can be found in four different flavours:

• Passionfruit, Mango & Blood Orange
• Watermelon, Strawberry & Mint
• Blueberry, Apple & Blackcurrant
• Lemon, Orange & Ginger