Lipton Teas and Infusions

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LIPTON Teas and Infusions B.V.
FormerlyEkaterra (2021–2023)
Company type Private
Industry Tea
Predecessor Unilever
Founded2021;4 years ago (2021)
Headquarters,
Netherlands
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Nathalie Roos (CEO)
  • Pierre Laubies (chair of the board) [1]
Products Tea
Brands
Owner CVC Capital Partners
Number of employees
17,000 (2024)
Website liptonteas.com

LIPTON Teas and Infusions B.V. is an [2] American-British multinational company headquartered in Amsterdam for tax purposes. [3] [4] that produces tea and other herbal drinks. Founded as a spin-off from Unilever in 2021, [5] it is the largest tea company in the world, owning brands, such as Lipton, PG Tips, and TAZO. [6]

Contents

First formed in 2020 as a distinct division within Unilever named Ekaterra, in November 2021, Jersey-based private equity firm CVC Capital Partners reached an agreement to purchase the business for €4.5 billion. [7] The sale was completed in 2022, [8] after which Ekaterra was renamed as Lipton Teas and Infusions. Unilever retained the use of the brands in India, Nepal, and Indonesia, as well as its ready-to-drink Lipton Iced Tea joint venture with PepsiCo. [9]

History

The Lipton brand named after its founder, Sir Tom Lipton who started an eponymous grocery retail business in the United Kingdom in 1871. [10] The Lipton tea business was acquired by consumer goods company Unilever in a number of separate transactions, completed in 1972 when Unilever bought the remainder of the global Lipton business from Allied Suppliers. [11]

Founded as a divestment of the majority of Unilevers global tea holdings, [5] Lipton Teas and Infusions became an independent company following the completion of the sale of the majority of Unilever’s tea business to CVC Capital Partners in July 2022. [12]

A month after the sale, the company announced its withdrawal from the Russian market due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation in the country "does not allow the company to develop its business steadily", said a spokesperson. [13]

The company launched the Lipton Tea Innovation & Technology Academy together with the Government of Kenya and the University of Kabianga in February 2024 to offer training varying from vocational courses to advanced degrees in tea growing and harvesting. [14] [15]

In May 2024, Lipton Teas and Infusions announced an agreement to sell its tea estates in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda to Browns Investments with the proceeds reinvested into East Africa’s tea industry. [16] [17]

Brands

Lipton Teas and Infusions owns over 30 tea brands including:

References

  1. Woolfson, Daniel (4 July 2022). "Ekaterra appoints new CEO and chair". The Grocer. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  2. "Lipton Tea Companies".
  3. "Lipton Teas & Infusions BV - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  4. "Lipton Teas and Infusions CEO Nathalie Roos resigns". Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  5. 1 2 "How Competitive will the New Ekaterra be in Global Tea?". Euromonitor. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  6. "LIPTON Teas and Infusions - Dates - AllChiefs". allchiefs.nl. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  7. "CVC agrees €4.5bn deal to buy Unilever's tea business". www.ft.com.
  8. "Unilever completes sale of tea business - Food & Drink Business". www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au.
  9. Devlin2021-11-19, Ed (19 November 2021). "Unilever offloads global tea business to CVC in €4.5bn deal". The Grocer.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. "History of Thomas J. Lipton Company". Fundinguniverse.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  11. Lipton Tea Companies. Lipton Ltd. 1855–2003.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. Berry, Kim (6 July 2022). "Unilever completes sale of tea business". Food & Drink Business. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  13. "Чай Lipton и Brooke Bond перестанут продавать в России". rbc.ru (in Russian). 1 August 2022.
  14. "Launch of Lipton Tea Innovation and Technology Academy, State House, Nairobi". YouTube . 22 February 2024.
  15. "Lipton Tea Innovation and Technology Academy (LTITA) Launch". University of Kabianga. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  16. Odhiambo, Allan (7 May 2024). "Sri Lanka's Browns acquires Lipton tea estates in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania". Business Daily.
  17. "Lipton Teas and Infusions, Browns Investments agree long-term partnership". The Nation. 14 May 2024.