Lipton Teas and Infusions
{{Short description|Dutch multinational tea company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = LIPTON Teas and Infusions B.V.
| logo = Lipton_Teas_and_Infusions_Logo.svg
| former_name = Ekaterra (2021–2023)
| type = Private
| ISIN =
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{plainlist|
- Nathalie Roos (CEO)
- Pierre Laubies (chair of the board){{cite news |last1=Woolfson |first1=Daniel |title=Ekaterra appoints new CEO and chair |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/movers/ekaterra-appoints-new-ceo-and-chair/669113.article |access-date=10 July 2022 |work=The Grocer |date=4 July 2022}}
}}
| industry = Tea
| products = Tea
| brands = {{unbulleted list|PG Tips|Lipton|Brooke Bond|Pukka|T2|Tazo|Red Rose Tea| Laojee (Sri Lanka only)|Salada}}
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| assets =
| equity =
| owner = CVC Capital Partners
| num_employees = 17,000 (2024)
| predecessor = Unilever
| founded = {{start date and age|2021}}
| hq_location_city = Amsterdam (North Holland)
| hq_location_country = Netherlands
| website = {{URL|https://liptonteas.com/}}
| footnotes =
}}
LIPTON Teas and Infusions B.V. is a Dutch multinational company headquartered in Amsterdam,{{Cite web |title=Lipton Teas & Infusions BV - Company Profile and News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1942331D:NA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303043230/https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1942331D:NA |archive-date=3 March 2024 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Bloomberg.com |language=en |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Lipton Teas and Infusions CEO Nathalie Roos resigns |url=https://www.teaandcoffee.net/news/35038/lipton-teas-and-infusions-ceo-nathalie-roos-resigns/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Tea & Coffee Trade Journal |language=en}} that produces tea and other herbal drinks. Founded as a spin-off from Unilever in 2021,{{Cite web |date=2021-10-27 |title=How Competitive will the New Ekaterra be in Global Tea? |url=https://www.euromonitor.com/article/how-competitive-will-the-new-ekaterra-be-in-global-tea |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Euromonitor}} it is the largest tea company in the world, owning brands, such as Lipton, PG Tips, and TAZO.{{Cite web |title=LIPTON Teas and Infusions - Dates - AllChiefs |url=https://allchiefs.nl/en/cases/lipton-teas-and-infusions-data/#:~:text=Lipton%20Teas%20and%20Infusions%20is,under%20Lipton%20Teas%20and%20Infusions. |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=allchiefs.nl |language=en}}
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.{{cite news |title=CVC agrees €4.5bn deal to buy Unilever's tea business |url=https://www.ft.com/content/83529b44-f290-4668-a766-5559dfec431c |work=www.ft.com}} The sale was completed in 2022,{{cite news |title=Unilever completes sale of tea business - Food & Drink Business |url=https://www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au/news/unilever-completes-sale-of-tea-business |work=www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au |language=en}} 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. {{cite news |last1=Devlin2021-11-19 |first1=Ed |date=2021-11-19 |title=Unilever offloads global tea business to CVC in €4.5bn deal |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/mergers-and-acquisitions/unilever-offloads-global-tea-business-to-cvc-in-45bn-deal/662039.article |work=The Grocer |language=en}}
History
The Lipton brand named after its founder, Sir Tom Lipton who started an eponymous grocery retail business in the United Kingdom in 1871.{{cite web |title=History of Thomas J. Lipton Company |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Thomas-J-Lipton-Company-Company-History.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526053301/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Thomas-J-Lipton-company-company-History.html |archive-date=26 May 2012 |access-date=22 October 2012 |publisher=Fundinguniverse.com}} 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.{{Cite book |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/ff93ae4f-1852-46e1-bffe-17c17af1e8fb |title=Lipton Tea Companies |date=1855–2003 |others=Lipton Ltd}}
Founded as a divestment of the majority of Unilevers global tea holdings, 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.{{cite news |last1=Berry |first1=Kim |title=Unilever completes sale of tea business |url=http://www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au/news/unilever-completes-sale-of-tea-business |access-date=10 July 2022 |work=Food & Drink Business |date=6 July 2022}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rbc.ru/business/01/08/2022/62e7d7229a7947d8ec86f2ee|title=Чай Lipton и Brooke Bond перестанут продавать в России|language=ru|date=2022-08-01|website=rbc.ru}}
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.{{cite web |title=Launch of Lipton Tea Innovation and Technology Academy, State House, Nairobi. | website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUnQx-J9zuE |date=22 February 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.kabianga.ac.ke/lipton-tea-innovation-and-technology-academy-ltita-launch |date=6 March 2024 |title=Lipton Tea Innovation and Technology Academy (LTITA) Launch |website=University of Kabianga |access-date=31 December 2024}}
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. {{cite web |last=Odhiambo |first=Allan |title=Sri Lanka's Browns acquires Lipton tea estates in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania |url=https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/corporate/companies/sri-lanka-browns-acquires-lipton-tea-estates-4615654 |website=Business Daily |language=en |date=7 May 2024}}{{cite news |title=Lipton Teas and Infusions, Browns Investments agree long-term partnership |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/14-May-2024/lipton-teas-and-infusions-browns-investments-agree-long-term-partnership |work=The Nation |date=14 May 2024}}
Brands
Lipton Teas and Infusions owns over 30 tea brands including:
- Bushells
- Brooke Bond (except for in India, Nepal and Indonesia)
- Elephant
- Joko
- Laojee
- Lipton (except for in India, Nepal and Indonesia, or ready-to-drink Lipton Iced Tea)
- Lyons Tea (Ireland)
- Pukka
- PG Tips
- Red Rose Tea (Canada only)
- Salada (Canada only)
- Scottish Blend
- TAZO
- T2
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.liptonteas.com/}}
{{Ekaterra}}
{{Unilever}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2021 establishments in the Netherlands
Category:2021 establishments in the United Kingdom
Category:2022 mergers and acquisitions
Category:CVC Capital Partners companies
Category:Food and drink companies established in 2021
Category:Food and drink companies of the Netherlands
Category:Food and drink companies of the United Kingdom
Category:Manufacturing companies established in 2021
Category:Multinational companies headquartered in the Netherlands
Category:Private equity portfolio companies
Category:Former Unilever companies
Category:Privately held companies of the Netherlands
Category:Privately held companies of the United Kingdom
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