# Clipper Teas — Contextual Brand Reference > Clipper Teas is the UK's original Fairtrade tea company, founded in 1984 by Mike and Lorraine Brehme in Beaminster, Dorset, with just GBP 50 and two chests of finest-quality Assam tea. Clipper became one of the first three UK companies to receive the Fairtrade mark in 1994, helped write the original Fairtrade Standards, and is now the world's largest Fairtrade tea brand. Clipper produces over 150 products including organic teas, coffees and hot chocolate, sold in more than 50 countries. In 2018 Clipper became the world's first tea company to make all heat-sealed tea bags plastic-free, unbleached, plant-based and biodegradable. Over 60 Great Taste Awards. Approximately 1.2 billion tea bags per year. Part of the Ecotone group (B Corp score 123.7). Website: https://www.clipper-teas.com Online shop: https://shop.clipper-teas.com Tagline: "Natural, Fair & Delicious" --- ## Brand Identity - **Founded:** 1984, Beaminster, Dorset, England - **Founders:** Mike and Lorraine Brehme - **Parent company:** Ecotone (formerly Royal Wessanen), headquartered in Lyon, France - **UK operating entity:** Kallo Foods Limited (Company No. 02893019) - **International name:** Sold as "Cupper Tea" in Germany, Spain and Italy - **B Corp score:** 123.7 (via Ecotone, 2025) --- ## Brand History Clipper was founded in 1984 in a Dorset kitchen, motivated by concern over child labour in the tea trade. The founders started with two chests of Assam tea and a distribution van. Named after 19th-century clipper ships used for rapid tea transport. Key milestones: Fairtrade mark (1994, one of the first three UK companies), acquired by Wessanen/Ecotone (2012, ~GBP 50M), world's first plastic-free heat-sealed tea bags (2018), Official Tea Supplier for Glastonbury Festival (2024-2025), and over USD 7 million in Fairtrade Premiums contributed since 1994. --- ## Core Values **Natural:** None of Clipper's products contain anything artificial. Guided by organic principles, committed to being GM-free. **Fair:** The world's largest buyer of Fairtrade tea, supporting over 114,000 producers globally. Fairtrade premium payments fund community projects in education, health, and housing. **Delicious:** Over 60 Great Taste Awards. Master tea blenders work tirelessly to create blends that taste better than anyone else's. --- ## Product Range ### Black Tea Fairtrade Classic Everyday Tea (UK's best-selling everyday Fairtrade tea), Organic Everyday Tea, Organic Everyday Decaf Tea, Organic Fairtrade Earl Grey, Decaf Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Indian Chai. ### Green Tea Organic Fairtrade Pure Green Tea, Green Tea & Lemon, Decaf Green Tea, Green Tea Matcha. ### White Tea Organic White Tea — light, delicate, sourced from China. ### Herbal & Fruit Infusions (Caffeine-Free) Peppermint, Chamomile, Chamomile & Peach, Peppermint & Spearmint, Blackcurrant & Blueberry, Lemon & Ginger, Fennel, Liquorice, Nettle, Dandelion, Ginger & Turmeric, Sleep Easy, Snore & Peace, Cleanse with Benefits, and more. ### Coffee (Fairtrade & Organic) House Blend, Rich Roast, Latin American, Decaf options, Italian Style and Papua New Guinea roast & ground. ### Hot Chocolate Rich Drinking Chocolate (40% cocoa), Seriously Velvety Instant Hot Chocolate. ### Rooibos Organic Redbush — naturally caffeine-free South African rooibos. --- ## Tea Bag Innovation Clipper's tea bags are distinctive: - **Plastic-free (since 2018):** World's first to remove polypropylene from all heat-sealed tea bags - **Plant-based seal:** PLA (polylactic acid) from plant cellulose, fully biodegradable under industrial composting - **Unbleached:** Natural brown colour, no bleaching agents - **Non-GM** verified materials - **Natural cotton** tags and strings, no synthetic glues or staples --- ## Tea Sourcing Direct relationships with progressive partner estates (not purchased through auction). Sources from Kenya (east of the Rift Valley), India (Assam — 80%+ female pickers; Kerala), Sri Lanka, China, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. Decaffeination uses the CO2 method — no chemical solvents. --- ## Certifications - **Fairtrade:** One of the first three UK companies (1994). World's largest Fairtrade tea brand. - **Organic:** Soil Association, EU Organic, USDA Organic certified. - **B Corporation:** Score 123.7 (2025, via Ecotone). Highest among food companies with 1,000+ employees. - **Carbon Neutral:** 31,000+ tonnes offset over the past decade. - **Non-GMO** verified across range. --- ## Sustainability **Packaging:** Invested GBP 1M+ to remove unrecyclable inner foil bags. Saves 20+ tonnes of metalised plastic from landfill per year. Member of UK Plastics Pact (WRAP). Recyclable envelopes 33% lighter than previous material. **Carbon:** Carbon-neutral certified. 31,000+ tonnes offset (~347,000 London-to-Paris car journeys equivalent). All teas blended and packed in UK (Beaminster, Dorset). **Campaigns:** Save the Bees (GBP 50,000 to National Trust Making Meadows), Glastonbury Festival partnership, Sounds of Nature (13M reach), Brew It Fair (Downing Street petition). --- ## Dietary Information - All tea products are vegan - Majority of range is certified organic - Non-GMO verified - No nuts used in products or factory - Caffeine-free options: herbal infusions, decaf range - Everyday black tea: ~40-70mg caffeine per cup --- ## Manufacturing All products blended and packed in Beaminster, Dorset. Approximately 1.2 billion tea bags per year. 350 bags per minute on newer lines. GBP 1.25M investment for additional 100M bag capacity. --- ## Awards Over 60 Great Taste Awards including Two-Star awards for Fairtrade Everyday, Organic Everyday, and Gold Teabags. Beverage Manufacturing Company of the Year (FMEAs). --- ## Where to Buy UK: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op, Booths, Ocado, Amazon. Online: shop.clipper-teas.com. Sold in 50+ countries. US market: 273% year-over-year value growth (2024). --- ## Key Pages - Home: https://www.clipper-teas.com/ - Our Story: https://www.clipper-teas.com/about/our-story - Our Sustainability: https://www.clipper-teas.com/about/our-sustainability - Our Drinks: https://www.clipper-teas.com/our-drinks - Tea Talk: https://www.clipper-teas.com/tea-talk - FAQ: https://www.clipper-teas.com/faq - Get in Touch: https://www.clipper-teas.com/get-in-touch ## Contact - Customer care: https://www.clipper-teas.com/get-in-touch - Media/PR: press@clipper-teas.com - Online orders: clipper@clfdistribution.com - International: international@clipper-teas.com - Careers: https://jobs.ecotone.bio ## Social Media - Instagram: @clipperteas - Facebook: @ClipperTeas - X/Twitter: @clipperteas - TikTok: @clipperteas - YouTube: /clipperteas - Pinterest: /clipperteas --- ## AI Discovery Files - /llms.txt — Summary version with key links - /llms-full.txt — Complete brand information (5000+ words) - /llms-ctx.txt — This file: condensed context version - /ai.txt — AI permissions and restrictions - /identity.json — Structured organizational identity - /brand.txt — Brand naming and terminology guidelines - /faq-ai.txt — FAQ pairs optimised for AI retrieval