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Typhoo

Typhoo is a historic tea brand, established in 1903 as one of the United Kingdom's pioneering pre-packaged teas, renowned for its bold, full-bodied blends made from broken leaves sourced globally and certified by the for ethical production. The brand was founded in , , by grocer John Sumner Jr., who developed the tea to address his sister Mary's chronic , using finer broken leaves that infused more quickly and effectively than traditional whole-leaf varieties. The name "Typhoo" derives from the word for "" (dàifū), reflecting the perceived medicinal benefits of for health issues like Sumner's sister's condition. Originally marketed as "Typhoo Tips" (with an early misspelling as "Tipps" due to a error that persisted briefly), it quickly gained popularity as a convenient, affordable alternative to loose tea sold by weight in grocers. Over its more than 120-year history, Typhoo expanded its product range to include innovations like tea bags introduced in 1967, which simplified brewing for consumers. In 1968, the company merged with , leading to further growth and acquisitions, though it later changed hands multiple times, including to firms in the . By the late , Typhoo had become a staple alongside brands like and , emphasizing robust blends suitable for breakfast or everyday drinking, with variants such as decaffeinated options and premium lines like Typhoo Gold launched in recent years. In recent decades, Typhoo faced challenges from shifting consumer preferences toward and premium or specialty s, resulting in declining sales and mounting debts. entered on November 27, 2024, after reporting a £38 million pre-tax loss for the year ending September 2023, exacerbated by a break-in that incurred £24 million in exceptional costs. However, on December 2, 2024, Supreme PLC, a Manchester-based manufacturer of vapes, batteries, and vitamins, acquired Typhoo's and selected assets for £10.2 million, securing its future under a new outsourced manufacturing model while preserving jobs and the brand's UK-based production. Today, Typhoo remains committed to sustainable sourcing from regions like Ceylon, , and , positioning itself as a refreshed, ethical choice in the competitive market.

History

Founding and early development

Inspired by his sister Mary's experience with indigestion, for which a recommended a blend of broken leaves to aid , John Sumner Jr., a grocer in , developed a specialized medicinal product. Launched in as Typhoo Tipps , it utilized these finer broken leaves, known as "tips," which were believed to produce a purer with enhanced health benefits compared to standard whole-leaf teas. The brand name "Typhoo" was derived from a Chinese word meaning "doctor," selected by John Sumner for its distinctive sound, ease of memorability, and suitability for trademark registration; the double "p" in "Tipps" originated as a printing error but was retained in early packaging. Early marketing positioned Typhoo as a curative, pure tea, with the inaugural label featuring the slogan "Typhoo, the tea that doctors recommend," emphasizing its therapeutic qualities for digestive health. Initial production occurred in , where the tea was blended and packaged for sale as loose leaf product primarily through local chemists' shops and grocers, targeting consumers seeking health-oriented remedies. This focused distribution helped establish Typhoo's reputation as an innovative, doctor-endorsed alternative in the competitive British market of the era.

Mid-20th century expansion

Following the economic recovery in , Typhoo experienced significant growth as a staple brand emphasizing traditional blends, building on its medicinal origins established in when it was recommended by doctors for digestive health. By the early , the company had become the leading tea brand in the UK market, holding approximately 15% alongside competitors like J. Lyons. This expansion was driven by increased domestic consumption and international reach, with Typhoo packing over 80 million pounds of annually by the mid-1960s and exporting to 40 countries worldwide. A key product innovation came in 1967 with the introduction of tea bags, which shifted toward convenient packaging and enhanced consumer accessibility by simplifying brewing without loose leaves. This development aligned with broader trends in household convenience during the era, helping Typhoo maintain its position as one of England's top brands into the 1970s. Corporate consolidation further fueled growth when acquired Typhoo in 1968 to diversify its food portfolio and strengthen ties with grocery retailers. The following year, in 1969, this entity merged with to form Cadbury Schweppes, integrating Typhoo's tea operations with and beverages for expanded distribution networks and shared resources. These mergers provided Typhoo with greater production scale and , solidifying its role as a prominent tea staple. To support rising demand, Typhoo relocated its production facilities in 1978 from to Moreton in , aiming to boost capacity and operational efficiency through modernized infrastructure. This move enabled the company to handle larger volumes, processing thousands of tonnes of tea sourced globally while preserving its focus on quality blends.

Late 20th and 21st century changes

In 1986, Typhoo was sold through a to form Premier Brands, which acquired the beverages and foods division of , including the Typhoo tea business. In 1990, Premier Brands was acquired by , then operating as Hillsdown Holdings, consolidating Typhoo under a larger conglomerate. The company underwent further ownership changes in the early , reflecting broader shifts in the UK tea market. In 2005, sold Typhoo to the Indian for £80 million, marking the brand's transition to international ownership and including associated brands like London Fruit & Herb along with the Moreton facility. This acquisition positioned Apeejay as a key player in the global tea sector, with Typhoo contributing to its expansion in premium and own-label products. By 2021, amid evolving consumer preferences toward specialty teas and declining traditional sales, Apeejay divested Typhoo to British Zetland Capital, which took a majority stake to support operational investments and turnaround efforts. Under Zetland's ownership, Typhoo maintained its role as a significant supplier of supermarket own-label teas, providing blends for major retailers and ranking fifth in overall tea sales volume with approximately 6% , despite challenges to its branded segment. Production shifts followed to address rising costs and efficiency needs. In March 2023, Typhoo announced the closure of its historic Moreton factory in Wirral by June, resulting in up to 90 job losses, as the site outsourced blending and packing operations amid escalating energy and material expenses. Following its acquisition out of , Supreme PLC opened a new manufacturing facility in , known as The Plant, in April 2025 to bring production in-house and modernize processes with state-of-the-art blending and packing capabilities. Financial pressures intensified in late 2024, leading to Typhoo's entry into on November 27 due to persistent sales declines, accumulated debts exceeding £120 million, and disruptions including vandalism at the vacated Moreton site. The administrators from Kroll quickly secured a rescue deal, with Supreme PLC acquiring Typhoo's trade, assets, stock, and trade debtors for £10.2 million in December 2024, ensuring the brand's continuity under British ownership and plans for revitalization.

Products

Core offerings

Typhoo's flagship product is its premium blend, crafted from select tea leaves sourced from Kenyan regions to deliver a rich, full-bodied flavor profile that has established it as a staple in . This blend is available in options, including 80-count and 1100-count bulk packs, with each bag containing the optimal amount of leaves for a single cup. The tea is Certified, ensuring sustainable sourcing from certified gardens that support environmental and social standards. Complementing the standard blend, Typhoo offers decaffeinated premium tea bags in an 80-count package, produced through a natural decaffeination process that removes most caffeine while preserving the robust taste and aroma of the original black tea. It holds Kosher certification and is designed for steeping in freshly boiled water. Like the flagship product, it is Rainforest Alliance Certified. All Typhoo black teas are recommended to brew for 3-5 minutes to achieve optimal strength, often with milk added to enhance the traditional British cuppa. Products are manufactured in the UK as of 2025. For a more upscale experience, Typhoo's Gold Luxury tea bags come in an 80-count box, featuring a premium blend of black teas from that yields smoother, more aromatic notes with golden tones, targeted at discerning consumers who prefer an elevated yet accessible luxury tea. This variant emphasizes a balanced richness suitable for all-day enjoyment, while adhering to the same Kosher and standards as other core lines. The line was revived in Autumn 2025. Extending its portfolio into ready-to-drink formats, Typhoo provides iced tea in 500ml bottled variants, offering a refreshing, low-calorie non-hot beverage option made with real tea and natural flavors, available in Original, Lemon, Peach, and Mango flavors, brewed and bottled in the UK. The core Typhoo range across these products is Kosher certified and incorporates sustainability measures through Rainforest Alliance certification, with recyclable packaging, aligning with modern environmental priorities while preserving the heritage of British black tea traditions.

Innovations and varieties

Typhoo's current offerings focus on its core blends, with innovations including the 2025 relaunch of and introduction of variants. Previously available varieties such as green teas, herbal infusions under the Herbalistas sub-brand (launched 2024), specialty black teas (e.g., , ), and instant options (e.g., QT, Lift) are no longer featured on the official product range as of November 2025. Bulk ranges for and sectors include larger packs of tea bags for cafés, retailers, and operations, ensuring consistent quality for high-volume use.

Marketing

Sponsorships

Typhoo became the primary jersey sponsor for St. Helens Rugby League club in 2012, featuring the brand's logo prominently on the front of the team's kits during competitions. This partnership aligned with Typhoo's British heritage and its established presence in , particularly through its factory in , located near St. Helens. The sponsorship began with a two-year deal for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, valued as a significant coup for the club amid economic challenges, and was extended in 2013 for an additional three years, running until the end of the 2016 season. The arrangement, estimated at £600,000 overall, extended Typhoo's branding to replica shirts, training gear, warm-up apparel, and coaching staff uniforms, while renaming the club's Players’ Lounge as the Typhoo Hall of Fame. This collaboration enhanced Typhoo's visibility through high-profile matches, reaching a dedicated fanbase in and beyond, with the brand serving over 15,000 cups of to supporters at home games to boost engagement. initiatives included bucket collections at matches to support Typhoo's for All charity program and tours for players, strengthening local connections in the region. Strategically, the choice of rugby league targeted Typhoo's core audience of traditional tea drinkers in working-class northern communities, where the sport's passionate, family-oriented following—with a third of viewers being female—complemented the brand's emphasis on everyday rituals and local . The partnership drove among this demographic, aligning the excitement of the with Typhoo's positioning as a staple. No further extensions or renewals occurred after , with St. Helens shifting to other principal sponsors such as the RCMA Group. Following Typhoo's entry into administration in November 2024 and its acquisition by Supreme PLC in December 2024 for £10.2 million, there have been no reported revivals of the St. Helens sponsorship as of November 2025.

Advertising and slogans

Typhoo's advertising has historically emphasized the brand's British heritage, quality, and refreshing qualities, beginning with early 20th-century print campaigns that positioned the tea as a health tonic recommended by doctors. The inaugural in 1903 featured the "Typhoo, the tea that doctors recommend," highlighting its purity and medicinal benefits derived from using small tea leaves, as sold initially in pharmacies. In the mid-20th century, Typhoo transitioned to television advertising, with spots from the and focusing on everyday refreshment and national pride to appeal to households. These early commercials often depicted families enjoying the 's invigorating effects, reinforcing its role in daily routines and quality craftsmanship, such as a 1968 print ad promoting premium tea blends through collectible schemes. The brand's slogans evolved in the 1970s to tap into patriotic sentiments amid economic challenges, with "Putting 'T' back into " evoking national revival through consumption. Other slogans from the era included "For the tea that picks you up, pick up Typhoo," emphasizing its energizing . Subsequent slogans like "There's only one 'T' in Typhoo" underscored the brand's unique identity and . In the , Typhoo featured its playful branding with "You only get an 'OO' with Typhoo," in TV campaigns starring celebrities such as and to inject humor and relatability, aiming to re-engage consumers with the tea's satisfying "oo" of enjoyment. Alongside enduring references to "Great British since " to affirm heritage. In 2002, Typhoo relaunched the "You only get an 'OO' with Typhoo" slogan after a near-decade hiatus, through TV ads targeting lapsed tea drinkers and positioning the brand as a nostalgic yet vital staple to boost . Typhoo's most recent major prior to its 2024 administration, launched in September 2024 as the "Fear Free Tea" rebrand, shifted focus to ethical sourcing by overhauling its to address against women on tea plantations. The initiative featured bold packaging queries like "Is your tea fear free?" and ads promoting transparency and worker safety, though it faced backlash for its confrontational tone and contributed to sales declines amid the brand's financial struggles. Following the acquisition by Supreme PLC in December 2024, the company launched new products including Typhoo Gold and in autumn 2025, with a modernized , though no major new have been reported as of 2025.

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