Brooke Bond

Brooke Bond is a British tea brand with origins in the tea-trading business established by Arthur Brooke in Manchester in 1869. Brooke reportedly chose the name to express a bond of trust with customers and built the business first through a teahouse and later through wholesale tea sales. The company expanded from retail and wholesale distribution into tea packing, manufacturing, international sourcing, printing, and branded consumer products. The brand became particularly important in the British Empire and Commonwealth tea markets. Brooke Bond introduced Red Label in British India in 1903, later developing a broad regional portfolio that included products such as Taj Mahal, Taaza, and Supreme. Its business was supported by a substantial supply and manufacturing network, including tea production and packing operations in Britain and South Asia. The company also developed a distinctive form of consumer engagement through illustrated cards inserted into tea packets. These cards, issued in themed series from the 1950s through 1999, covered wildlife, flowers, history, transport, famous people, and other educational subjects. They helped make Brooke Bond a familiar household name and remain collectible. In Britain, the company’s best-known product became PG Tips, first introduced in 1930 under the name Pre-Gest-Tea. The brand was subsequently shortened to PG Tips. Brooke Bond’s Trafford Park factory near Manchester became associated with PG Tips production and later also produced Pukka herbal teas. By the late 1950s, Brooke Bond was described as one of the world’s largest tea companies, with a major share of both the British and Indian tea markets. Corporate ownership changed significantly during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Brooke Bond merged with Liebig in 1968 to form Brooke Bond Liebig, and Unilever acquired the combined company in 1984. Under Unilever, the Brooke Bond name became less prominent in the United Kingdom, although some regional products and licensed uses continued. The brand returned temporarily to the UK market in 2019 in connection with its 150th anniversary, following an absence of approximately two decades. Unilever agreed in 2021 to sell the majority of its global tea business to CVC Capital Partners. The transaction was completed in July 2022, creating Lipton Teas and Infusions, which assumed ownership of Brooke Bond in most territories. Unilever retained the brand for tea operations in India, Nepal, and Indonesia. In Pakistan, Brooke Bond Supreme is positioned as a strong tea and is marketed by Lipton Teas and Infusions. In India, Brooke Bond’s portfolio includes Red Label, Taj Mahal, and Taaza, while Red Rose remains associated with the North American business, being sold in Canada by Lipton Teas and Infusions and in the United States by Redco Foods, a Teekanne subsidiary. The brand therefore remains active but is managed through different ownership and licensing arrangements by market.

Arthur Brooke opened his first teahouse at 23 Market Street in Manchester in 1869. The business name, Brooke Bond, was associated with Brooke’s stated commitment to maintaining a dependable relationship with customers and supplying quality tea. During the 1870s the enterprise expanded into wholesale tea sales, establishing the commercial foundation for a larger tea-trading and manufacturing business. Brooke Bond developed an international presence during the period when tea consumption was expanding throughout Britain and its overseas markets. In 1903 the company launched Red Label in British India, a product that became one of the central Brooke Bond names in the Indian subcontinent. The company also expanded its physical infrastructure. It opened a tea-packing factory in Goulston Street, Stepney, London, in 1911 and established Berkshire Printing Company in Reading in 1908 as a printing division connected with product packaging and promotional materials. The printing operation became especially important because Brooke Bond tea packets carried illustrated cards. From 1954 to 1999, packets commonly included cards issued in themed sets, often with 50 cards in a series. Early subjects focused heavily on natural history, including British animals, flowers, African wildlife, Asian wildlife, and tropical birds. Later sets addressed British costume, the history of the motor car, famous Britons, and other historical or cultural topics. Charles Tunnicliffe was among the best-known artists associated with the cards. The series were distributed across several countries, and complete albums and card sets later became sought-after collectibles. Berkshire Printing also expanded into high-quality lithographic playing-card production from the 1930s. Brooke Bond’s most important British product was introduced in 1930 as Pre-Gest-Tea, later known as PG Tips. The product became a major everyday tea brand, and the Trafford Park factory near Manchester became closely connected with its production. By 1957, Brooke Bond was described as probably the world’s largest tea company, with approximately one-third shares of both the British and Indian tea markets according to the historical account summarized in the brand’s Wikipedia article. The company continued to build regional brands. Laojee was launched in Sri Lanka in 1972 and became the country’s leading retail tea brand according to the cited account. In India, products such as Red Label, Taj Mahal, and Taaza were associated with different blend profiles and sourcing positions. Taj Mahal tea was linked with leaves from estates in Upper Assam, Darjeeling, and Tripura, while Red Label used tea from Assam, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, and parts of Meghalaya. Brooke Bond Supreme in Pakistan was made with Kenyan tea and positioned as a strong blend. In North America, Red Rose Tea became the principal Brooke Bond product. Corporate consolidation changed the company’s identity. Brooke Bond merged with Liebig in 1968 to form Brooke Bond Liebig. Unilever acquired the combined company in 1984 and subsequently reduced the prominence of the Brooke Bond masterbrand in some markets, particularly the United Kingdom. Gold Crown Foods received a licence to use the name for Brooke Bond D and Brooke Bond Choicest products. The D Tea licence later moved to Typhoo, which used packaging derived from the earlier presentation but omitted the Brooke Bond name from the product sold through its website. The Brooke Bond name was brought back temporarily to UK shelves in 2019 to mark the brand’s 150th anniversary. A larger ownership transition followed. In November 2021 Unilever agreed to sell most of its tea business to CVC Capital Partners for a reported €4.5 billion, while retaining Brooke Bond use in India, Nepal, and Indonesia. Completion in July 2022 created Lipton Teas and Infusions as the new tea company. Brooke Bond consequently remains an active international tea brand with market-specific ownership, licensing, product names, and distribution arrangements rather than a single globally uniform operating structure.

1. 2022Lipton Teas and Infusions begins ownership of most Brooke Bond markets

   The tea-business sale completed in July, and the acquired operations became Lipton Teas and Infusions.

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2. 2021Unilever agrees to sell most of its tea business

   Unilever announced an agreement to sell the majority of its tea business to CVC Capital Partners, with market-specific exceptions for Brooke Bond.

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3. 2019Temporary UK brand reintroduction

   Brooke Bond tea was temporarily reintroduced in the United Kingdom for the brand’s 150th anniversary.

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4. 1999Tea-card inserts cease

   Brooke Bond stopped routinely inserting illustrated cards into tea packets in the United Kingdom.

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5. 1984Unilever acquires Brooke Bond Liebig

   Unilever acquired Brooke Bond Liebig, bringing Brooke Bond into its global food and beverage portfolio.

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6. 1972Laojee launches in Sri Lanka

   Brooke Bond launched Laojee in Sri Lanka; the brand later became the country’s leading retail tea brand according to the cited historical account.

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7. 1968Merger with Liebig

   Brooke Bond merged with Liebig to form Brooke Bond Liebig.

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8. 1957Brooke Bond reaches major market scale

   The company was described as probably the world’s largest tea company, with about one-third shares of the British and Indian tea markets.

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9. 1954Illustrated tea cards begin in the United Kingdom

   Brooke Bond began including illustrated collectible cards in UK tea packets, a practice that continued until 1999.

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10. 1930Pre-Gest-Tea, later PG Tips, is launched

    Brooke Bond introduced Pre-Gest-Tea, a product later renamed PG Tips and eventually becoming the company’s best-known British tea brand.

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11. 1911London packing factory opens

    The company opened a tea-packing factory in Goulston Street, Stepney, London.

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12. 1908Berkshire Printing Company established

    Brooke Bond established a printing division in Reading for packaging and tea cards; the operation later also produced playing cards.

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13. 1903Red Label launches in British India

    Brooke Bond introduced Red Label in British India, creating one of its enduring South Asian tea brands.

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14. 1870Expansion into wholesale tea

    During the 1870s, the business expanded from teahouse retailing into wholesale tea sales.

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15. 1869Arthur Brooke opens his first teahouse

    Arthur Brooke opened a teahouse at 23 Market Street in Manchester, establishing the business that became Brooke Bond.

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Mass-market and household tea, adapted to local taste preferences and consumption habits. Brooke Bond has historically combined accessible everyday tea with strong regional identities, including robust blends in South Asia, premium cues for Taj Mahal, and family-oriented brand engagement through collectible educational cards.

• PG TipsBlack tea1930

  Brooke Bond’s most famous British tea line. It was introduced in 1930 under the name Pre-Gest-Tea and later shortened to PG Tips. The line became associated with everyday tea consumption in the United Kingdom and has been produced at the Trafford Park factory near Manchester. That site later also produced Pukka herbal teas.

• Red LabelBlack tea1903

  A major Brooke Bond black-tea brand introduced in British India in 1903. The product is associated with tea sourced and manufactured in parts of northeastern India, including Assam, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, and Meghalaya. Its positioning emphasizes a full-bodied, accessible tea for routine household consumption.

• Taj MahalBlack tea

  An Indian Brooke Bond tea associated with leaves from estates in Upper Assam, Darjeeling, and Tripura. The regional growing conditions are described as contributing to a dark red liquor, malty flavor, and substantial body. It occupies a more distinctive and premium-coded position within the Indian Brooke Bond range.

• TaazaGreen tea

  An Indian Brooke Bond tea made from fresh green tea leaves. The product represents the brand’s extension beyond conventional black-tea blends and reflects local demand for lighter or green-tea formats.

• Brooke Bond SupremeBlack tea

  A Pakistan-market tea made with Kenyan tea leaves. It is marketed by Lipton Teas and Infusions as a stronger tea than Lipton Yellow Label and is described in the reference material as Pakistan’s number-one-selling tea brand.

• Red Rose TeaBlack tea

  Brooke Bond’s principal North American product. Red Rose continues to be sold in Canada by Lipton Teas and Infusions and in the United States by Redco Foods, a subsidiary of Teekanne.

• LaojeeBlack tea1972

  A Sri Lankan Brooke Bond tea launched in 1972. The brand became the leading retail tea brand in Sri Lanka according to the historical material summarized in the Brooke Bond reference article.

• Brooke Bond tea cardsCollectible promotional cards1954

  Illustrated cards inserted into Brooke Bond tea packets, especially in the United Kingdom from 1954 to 1999. Series covered wildlife, flowers, birds, British costume, motor-car history, famous Britons, and other subjects. Charles Tunnicliffe was among the notable artists involved. The cards were issued internationally and are now collected as ephemera.

• 2019150th-anniversary UK reintroduction

  United Kingdom

  The Brooke Bond tea name returned temporarily to UK retail for the brand’s 150th anniversary after roughly two decades of limited or absent UK availability.

  Outcome. The reintroduction was temporary.

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• 1954Brooke Bond illustrated tea-card programme

  United Kingdom · Canada · United States · Rhodesia · South Africa

  Brooke Bond used illustrated cards in tea packets as a long-running engagement and collection programme. The cards combined product promotion with educational subjects, including natural history, culture, transport, and biography. Approximately 85 series were issued across the markets identified in the reference material.

  Outcome. The programme ended in the United Kingdom in 1999, but complete sets and albums remain collectible.

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• 2021Sale of most of Unilever’s tea businessM&A

  Unilever decided to separate most of its global tea operations from the wider group.

  What changed. Unilever agreed to sell the majority of its tea business to CVC Capital Partners, including Brooke Bond outside India, Nepal, and Indonesia.

  Aftermath. The transaction completed in July 2022 and the acquired operations were organized as Lipton Teas and Infusions. Unilever retained Brooke Bond use in India, Nepal, and Indonesia.

  Reported transaction value. €4.5 billion reported agreement value (Agreement announced in November 2021)

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• 2019Temporary return of Brooke Bond tea in the UKProduct launch

  The brand had been absent from UK shelves for approximately 20 years and reached its 150th anniversary.

  What changed. Brooke Bond tea was temporarily reintroduced in the United Kingdom.

  Aftermath. The return was presented as an anniversary-related reintroduction rather than a permanent restoration of the former UK portfolio.

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• 1984Unilever acquisitionM&A

  Brooke Bond Liebig became part of Unilever’s international food and beverage operations.

  What changed. Unilever acquired the combined Brooke Bond Liebig business.

  Aftermath. Unilever subsequently reduced the prominence of the Brooke Bond name in some markets while retaining or licensing selected regional brands.

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• 1968Merger with LiebigM&A

  Brooke Bond combined with Liebig during a period of consolidation in the food and beverage industry.

  What changed. The companies merged to create Brooke Bond Liebig.

  Aftermath. The combined company was later acquired by Unilever in 1984.

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• 2022Lipton Teas and Infusions completed acquisition of Brooke Bond business in most markets

  The tea-business transaction was completed in July 2022, and the acquired operations became Lipton Teas and Infusions. Brooke Bond remained with Unilever in India, Nepal, and Indonesia.

  M&A
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• 2021Brooke Bond brand included in Unilever tea-business sale agreement

  Unilever agreed to sell the majority of its tea business to CVC Capital Partners. The Brooke Bond brand was included outside India, Nepal, and Indonesia, where Unilever retained its use.

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• 2019Brooke Bond tea returned temporarily to the United Kingdom for its 150th anniversary

  The Brooke Bond tea name was temporarily reintroduced in the UK after an absence of about 20 years as part of an anniversary-related return.

  Product launchCampaign
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1. Brooke Bond
2. Lipton Teas and Infusions