Celebrating 100 years of Quality Tea
Today, Red Label continues to be Sainsbury's shoppers favourite, accounting for around one third of total tea sales. Did you know that in the run up to the Millenium in 2000, stores had special displays of Red Label as one of 10 'bunker' items believed to be essential to survival, alongside such favourites as Kellogg's cornflakes and Heinz baked beans?
Red Label is a blend of up to 25 different teas with a good proportion of quality Kenya teas giving it a distinctive reddish liquor. Sainsbury's Red Label was first sold in 1903 having been developed at George Payne & Co by John Sainsbury at the turn of the century. In those days, George Payne & Co. had tea and coffee production just along the river from Stamford Street near London's Tower Bridge and were financially assisted by James Finlay and P.R Buchanan, who in later years were to take on full ownership, ultimately in the form of Finlay Beverages. Nowadays all tea and coffee production is at South Elmsall in Yorkshire using state of the art equipment on a purpose built site.
Bush to cup expertise
Sainsbury's passion for quality still continues to this day affecting every aspect of tea production and marketing from sourcing to blending, packaging and promoting and displaying the tea instore.
We have a long valued relationship with Finlays, our packers. They are one of the world's leading independent tea plantation owners with estates in Kenya and Sri Lanka and are therefore well placed to advise on every aspect of tea, literally from bush to cup.
As one of Sainsbury's oldest suppliers, Finlay still insist that our tea and coffee master blenders sample and taste everything that comes in and out of the building. No wonder they taste around 100,000 bowls a year!
