Twinings

Twinings /ˈtwaɪnɪŋz/ is an English marketer of tea, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by Associated British Foods. It holds the world's oldest continually-used company logo, and is London's longest-standing rate-payer, having occupied the same premises on the Strand since 1706.

History

The founder of Twinings was Thomas Twining from Painswick, Gloucestershire in England. He opened Britain's first known tea room at No. 216 Strand, London, in 1706; it still operates today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is the world's oldest in continuous use.

Holder of a royal warrant, Twinings has been owned by Associated British Foods since 1964. It sells a variety of regional and flavoured teas such as the smoked Lapsang Souchong, the oil scented black tea Lady Grey, and the partially oxidised Bengali tea Darjeeling, as well as infusions, coffee, and hot chocolate. The company is associated with Earl Grey tea, a tea infused with bergamot, though it is unclear when this association began, and how important the company's involvement with the tea has been; Jacksons of Piccadilly, originally a rival of Twinings, but bought up by Twinings in the 1960s, also have associations with the blend.