The roots of the Tetley family tree are in Yorkshire Moors, England, at the beginning of the 19th century.

Merchant brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley decided to add loose tea to the inventory of goods sold from their travelling market. Their sales were so impressive that they became tea merchants.

Eventually, Edward's interests led him to the brewery business, while Joseph established the "Joseph Tetley and Company, Wholesale Tea Dealers".

The business grew steadily over the next 20 years, but when Tetley established trade ties with North America, it became the largest tea distributor in the world. Business expanded to include: blending, packaging and ultimately Tetley's best-known contribution to the world of tea — the tea bag, introduced to the UK in the 1950s.

The proud tradition of Tetley continues to this day with the innovation of the round tea bag in 1989, and the many new innovative specialty tea products and flavours.

Click here to discover the origins of many types of tea.