Barry's Tea

Last updated
Barry's Tea
Founded Cork, Ireland (1901)
HeadquartersCork, Ireland
Key people
James J. Barry
Products Black Teas, Green Teas & Fruit and Herbal Teas
Number of employees
65 (2015)
Website https://www.barrystea.ie

Barry's Tea is an Irish tea company founded in 1901 by James J. Barry in Cork. Until the 1960s, tea was sold from a shop in Prince's Street, but thereafter the company expanded its wholesaling and distribution operations following its growing popularity. There used to be a common debate in Ireland about which Irish tea was superior —Barry's Tea or Lyons Tea. [1] Barry's Tea is currently considered the dominant brand in Ireland.

Contents

History

In 1960, Peter Barry, Anthony’s son, pioneered the concept of wholesaling tea and began sourcing tea from East Africa, introducing blends that quickly gained widespread acclaim [2] . By the mid-1980s, Barry's Tea had become a beloved national brand. According to their website, they are currently responsible for 38% of all tea sales in the Irish market (which is worth an estimated €85 million annually). [3] Today, Barry's Tea is also available in the United Kingdom, Spain, and in some areas of Canada, Australia, France, Luxembourg and the United States where there are significant Irish immigrant communities.

Members of the Barry family have been elected representatives for Fine Gael: the founder's son Anthony Barry (TD 1954–1957 and 1961–1965), Anthony's son Peter Barry (TD 1969–1997) and Peter's daughter Deirdre Clune (TD 1997–2001 and 2007–2011, and MEP from 2014 to 2024).

Controversies

In May 2018, it was revealed that many of Barry's Tea teabags are made with polypropylene, a non-compostable plastic which is damaging to the environment. [4] As of August 2021, the company claimed that it had made 100% of its teabags biodegradable. [5]

Barry's Tea was a major sponsor of the greyhound racing industry in Ireland. [6] As of July 2019, the sponsorship has been pulled indefinitely. [7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Teapot, Little Yellow (2012-06-15). "Irish Tea Debate — Lyons vs Barry's". Tea Blog. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  2. ↑ "Barry's Tea | Our Story". Barrys Tea. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
  3. ↑ "About Barry's Tea | Irish Tea Brands". Barrys Tea.
  4. ↑ Pope, Conor (22 May 2018). "Barry's Tea says it is working to take plastics out of its tea bags". The Irish Times . Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  5. ↑ "Cork-based Barry's Tea removes plastic from Teabags". 13 August 2021.
  6. ↑ Fortune, Michael. "Veteran 'Sarahjo' the Barry's tea pick". The Irish Independent. No. June 9, 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  7. ↑ Horgan-Jones, Jack. "Barry's Tea and FBD Insurance pull greyhound racing funding". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
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