BrewGroup
BrewGroup was a New Zealand tea and coffee company that developed from Bell Tea, the country’s oldest tea manufacturer, before being acquired by Jacobs Douwe Egberts in 2017.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
BrewGroup was a New Zealand tea and coffee company whose origins reached back to the establishment of Bell Tea in Dunedin in 1898. Founded by Norman Harper Bell after his move from Melbourne, the business began as a partnership involving R. Wilson and Co. and used the Bell Tea trademark. After Bell ended that partnership in 1905, he acquired the relevant trademarks and reorganized the operation with new partners. The business subsequently became known as the Bell Tea and Coffee Co., linking tea manufacturing with coffee distribution and production. Bell Tea became an important participant in New Zealand’s packaged tea market and is described as the country’s oldest tea manufacturer. Foodstuffs acquired the company in 1962, bringing it into the ownership of one of New Zealand’s major supermarket operators. That ownership created both commercial advantages and constraints. Bell Tea had difficulty securing access to Progressive Enterprises’ supermarkets, Foodstuffs’ principal supermarket competitor, which restricted its ability to expand distribution nationally. The company broadened its coffee interests over time. In 2006 it acquired Burton Hollis Coffee and adopted the Bell Tea and Coffee Company name. By the 2010s, its business included a portfolio of tea and coffee brands rather than a single tea label. In 2013 the company was sold by Foodstuffs to Wellington-based private-equity firm Pencarrow Private Equity. During this period, the company’s tea brands were reported to account for approximately 40 percent of New Zealand’s tea market in 2013. In 2014, more than three million Bell Tea bags were reportedly produced each day at the company’s Auckland operation. The company also faced significant property and infrastructure issues. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake severely damaged its Christchurch building, which was subsequently demolished. In 2014, Bell Tea sold its Dunedin factory, a facility that had been used since 1924, because the cost of strengthening the building for earthquake resilience and improving fire safety was considered unaffordable. The building was assessed at only 34 percent of the minimum earthquake-strength requirement, and the required work was reported to exceed NZ$1 million. The company also divested three properties in East Tāmaki during 2014, including two adjoining factory properties. In June 2016, the Bell Tea & Coffee Company was renamed BrewGroup. The rebranding reflected the growing importance of coffee sales, which had overtaken tea sales within the business. The company added further coffee capability and brand assets, including the acquisition of Hummingbird Coffee in 2016. Its portfolio included Bell Tea, Tiger Tea, Amber Tips, Burton’s, Edgelets, Gravity Coffee, Hummingbird Coffee, Jed’s Coffee, Native Infusions, NZ Live, and equipment or distribution-related names such as Jura and La Cimbali, as well as Twinings-related business listed in descriptions of its brands. Jacobs Douwe Egberts, a Dutch coffee and beverage company, acquired BrewGroup in 2017. The reported transaction value was more than $100 million, although the cited reference does not specify the currency. The acquisition placed the New Zealand tea and coffee business within JDE’s international ownership. Publicly available reference material does not establish whether BrewGroup continued as a distinct operating company or brand after the acquisition, so its present standalone status is unclear.
History
BrewGroup’s history began with Bell Tea, established in Dunedin in 1898 by Norman Harper Bell after he moved from Melbourne. Bell initially partnered with R. Wilson and Co. and registered the Bell Tea trademark. In 1905 he ended that partnership, acquired the Bell Tea and related trademarks, and established a new ownership arrangement with two partners. The enterprise became the Bell Tea and Coffee Co., creating the corporate foundation for the business later known as BrewGroup. Bell Tea developed into a major New Zealand tea manufacturer and is identified as the country’s oldest tea manufacturer. In 1962, it was acquired by Foodstuffs, the supermarket operator. Foodstuffs’ ownership provided a connection to grocery distribution, but the company’s ability to expand was affected by competition between New Zealand’s major supermarket groups. Because Bell Tea had difficulty obtaining access to Progressive Enterprises’ supermarkets, its distribution reach and growth potential were constrained. The company expanded beyond tea through the acquisition of Burton Hollis Coffee in 2006. Following that transaction, the business used the Bell Tea and Coffee Company name. Its portfolio subsequently included multiple tea, coffee, infusion, and coffee-equipment brands. Bell Tea acquired Amber Tips in 1963 and Tiger Tea in 1969, while later portfolio references include Burton’s, Edgelets, Gravity Coffee, Jed’s Coffee, Native Infusions, NZ Live, Hummingbird Coffee, Jura, La Cimbali, and Twinings-related offerings. The available reference does not provide complete acquisition dates or ownership details for every listed brand. In September 2013, Foodstuffs sold Bell Tea to Pencarrow Private Equity, a Wellington-based investment firm. The company remained a significant force in New Zealand tea: its tea brands were reported to hold about 40 percent of the national tea market in 2013. By 2014, the Auckland operation was reported to produce more than three million Bell Tea bags per day. Infrastructure and property decisions were an important part of the company’s later history. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake severely damaged Bell Tea’s Christchurch building, requiring its demolition. In 2014, the company sold its Dunedin factory, which had operated since 1924. The building’s earthquake strength was assessed at 34 percent of the applicable minimum, and the cost of strengthening it and addressing fire-safety requirements was reported to exceed NZ$1 million. Bell Tea also sold three East Tāmaki properties in 2014, including two adjoining factory sites. In June 2016, the company changed its name from Bell Tea & Coffee Company to BrewGroup. The change reflected the shift in the business mix: coffee sales had grown larger than tea sales. BrewGroup also acquired Hummingbird Coffee in 2016, reinforcing its coffee strategy. The company was then acquired by Jacobs Douwe Egberts in 2017 for a reported amount above $100 million. The transaction transferred the New Zealand tea and coffee portfolio to a major Dutch international beverage company. The available reference material does not confirm the extent to which BrewGroup remained a separate legal entity or consumer-facing brand after the acquisition.
- 2017
Acquired by Jacobs Douwe Egberts
[1]Jacobs Douwe Egberts acquired BrewGroup in a transaction reported to be worth more than $100 million.
- 2016
Company renamed BrewGroup
[1]The Bell Tea & Coffee Company adopted the BrewGroup name as coffee sales became larger than tea sales.
- 2016
Hummingbird Coffee acquired
[1]BrewGroup added Hummingbird Coffee to its portfolio.
- 2014
Dunedin factory and East Tāmaki properties sold
[1]The company sold its earthquake-vulnerable Dunedin factory and divested three East Tāmaki properties.
- 2013
Ownership transferred to Pencarrow Private Equity
[1]Foodstuffs sold Bell Tea to Wellington-based Pencarrow Private Equity.
- 2011
Christchurch earthquake damaged company premises
[1]The Christchurch earthquake severely damaged Bell Tea’s building, which was later demolished.
- 2006
Burton Hollis Coffee acquired
[1]The company expanded its coffee operations through the acquisition of Burton Hollis Coffee.
- 1962
Foodstuffs acquired Bell Tea
[1]Bell Tea became part of the New Zealand supermarket operator Foodstuffs.
- 1924
Dunedin factory entered use
[1]The Dunedin factory later sold in 2014 had been used by the company since 1924.
- 1905
Bell reorganized the business
[1]Norman Harper Bell ended his original partnership, acquired the Bell Tea trademarks, and formed a new partnership structure.
Products and positioning
A New Zealand tea-and-coffee portfolio company built around the long-established Bell Tea heritage, with increasing emphasis on coffee and a broad collection of consumer beverage and coffee-related brands.
Tea · 1898
Bell Tea
Bell Tea was the historic core brand of the business and gave BrewGroup its connection to New Zealand’s oldest tea-manufacturing enterprise. The portfolio included packaged tea and tea bags manufactured for the domestic market. Bell Tea remained central to the company even as coffee became the larger part of sales.
Tea
Tiger Tea
Tiger Tea was one of the established tea brands associated with the BrewGroup portfolio. The business is reported to have acquired the brand in 1969. Available reference material does not specify its complete product range or its status after the Jacobs Douwe Egberts acquisition.
Tea
Amber Tips
Amber Tips was a tea brand listed among BrewGroup’s holdings and is reported to have been acquired in 1963. The available material does not provide detailed information about its formats, positioning, or subsequent ownership.
Coffee
Jed's Coffee
Jed’s Coffee was part of BrewGroup’s coffee portfolio during the company’s shift from a tea-led business toward a broader beverage group. Specific product formats, launch timing, and post-acquisition status are not established in the supplied reference.
Coffee
Hummingbird Coffee
Hummingbird Coffee was added to BrewGroup through an acquisition in 2016. Its inclusion strengthened the company’s coffee platform shortly before the sale to Jacobs Douwe Egberts.
Coffee
Gravity Coffee
Gravity Coffee was listed as one of BrewGroup’s coffee brands. The supplied reference does not give detailed information about its products, market positioning, launch date, or status after the 2017 acquisition.
Infusions
Native Infusions
Native Infusions was included in the company’s portfolio of tea and infusion products. No further product or brand-history details are provided in the available reference material.
Coffee
Burton Hollis Coffee
Burton Hollis Coffee became part of the business through a 2006 acquisition and contributed to the company’s expansion beyond its historic tea base. The acquisition was followed by the use of the Bell Tea and Coffee Company name.
Brand decisions
2017
Sale to Jacobs Douwe EgbertsM&ABackground
BrewGroup had developed a substantial New Zealand tea and coffee portfolio, with coffee becoming its larger sales category.
Action taken
Jacobs Douwe Egberts acquired BrewGroup.
Aftermath
The transaction brought the New Zealand business under the ownership of the Dutch international coffee and beverage company. The available reference does not clarify whether BrewGroup continued as a separate legal entity.
Reported transaction value. More than $100 million (2017)
2016
Rebrand from Bell Tea & Coffee Company to BrewGroupStrategyBackground
The company’s coffee sales had overtaken tea sales, making the historic Bell Tea-centered corporate name less representative of the wider portfolio.
Action taken
Management renamed the business BrewGroup in June 2016 and positioned it as a broader tea-and-coffee group.
Aftermath
The rebrand preceded the acquisition of BrewGroup by Jacobs Douwe Egberts in 2017.
Recent events
- 2017
Jacobs Douwe Egberts acquired BrewGroup[1]
M&A
Dutch beverage company Jacobs Douwe Egberts purchased BrewGroup, reportedly for more than $100 million.
- 2016
Bell Tea and Coffee Company renamed BrewGroup[1]
Leadership change
The Bell Tea & Coffee Company adopted the BrewGroup name after coffee sales surpassed tea sales.
- 2013
Bell Tea sold to Pencarrow Private Equity[1]
M&A
Foodstuffs sold Bell Tea to Wellington-based private-equity firm Pencarrow Private Equity.
Sources1 sources
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