Northern Irish tea blender marks 120th anniversary
Thompson's Family Teas, best known in Northern Ireland, parts of
Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and the US for its Punjana brand,is celebrating 120 years in the importation and blending of fine
teas. It's now one of Northern Ireland's best known and most
respected brands.
Based in Belfast and still owned and managed by the Thompson family after 120 years, the company has won a string of UK Great Taste
Awards for its teas, including Punjana, as well as recent herbal
infusions. The company, in fact, has won over 50 Great Taste Awards.
The Punjana brand has won more gold awards than any other blended
tea bag across the island in the past decade. It has also developed an award winning Titanic tea in memory of the ill-fated liner.
The business is run today by cousins Ross and David Thompson and nowoperates from a modern blending and processing plant in east
Belfast. The company has been imporingt tea from plantations in
India and Kenya since 1896 for blending into a range of teas
including a traditional Breakfast Tea.
The company produces over a third of all the tea consumed in
Northern Ireland. More than 50,000 cups of the company's products
are enjoyed every hour by tea lovers in Northern Ireland.
Thompson's Family Teas, which is also accredited by the British
Retail Consortium as a Grade A quality focused business, has
invested heavily in the latest automated production technology and
in the development of contemporary soft foil packaging. It pioneeredthe development of soft packs containing 80 tea bags.
Joint managing director Ross Thompson says: "We've always sought to set Punjana and our teas apart in our markets by focusing on taste. We achieve this by ensuring that our products are made from the bestleaves which we source from suppliers we've been dealing with for
generations."
Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and the US for its Punjana brand,is celebrating 120 years in the importation and blending of fine
teas. It's now one of Northern Ireland's best known and most
respected brands.
Based in Belfast and still owned and managed by the Thompson family after 120 years, the company has won a string of UK Great Taste
Awards for its teas, including Punjana, as well as recent herbal
infusions. The company, in fact, has won over 50 Great Taste Awards.
The Punjana brand has won more gold awards than any other blended
tea bag across the island in the past decade. It has also developed an award winning Titanic tea in memory of the ill-fated liner.
The business is run today by cousins Ross and David Thompson and nowoperates from a modern blending and processing plant in east
Belfast. The company has been imporingt tea from plantations in
India and Kenya since 1896 for blending into a range of teas
including a traditional Breakfast Tea.
The company produces over a third of all the tea consumed in
Northern Ireland. More than 50,000 cups of the company's products
are enjoyed every hour by tea lovers in Northern Ireland.
Thompson's Family Teas, which is also accredited by the British
Retail Consortium as a Grade A quality focused business, has
invested heavily in the latest automated production technology and
in the development of contemporary soft foil packaging. It pioneeredthe development of soft packs containing 80 tea bags.
Joint managing director Ross Thompson says: "We've always sought to set Punjana and our teas apart in our markets by focusing on taste. We achieve this by ensuring that our products are made from the bestleaves which we source from suppliers we've been dealing with for
generations."