Our Story

Once Upon a Teatime...

A Different Kind of Tea Company

Clipper was started in 1984 in a Dorset kitchen by a tea-obsessed husband and wife team. They wanted to share their love of great tea with a promise of ethical sourcing and natural production. The story began with just two chests of finest-quality Assam tea, sold to local health food shops and cafes. Today there are over 150 different Clipper products sold in over 50 countries. We’ve long outgrown the kitchen, but everything Clipper is still blended in our factory in Beaminster, Dorset.

We believe that every cup of tea counts. Our relentless quest for quality and attention to detail is matched only by our desire to always do the right thing.

So you see, ‘Natural, fair and delicious’ isn’t just a strapline; it’s a guide to every decision we make.

Natural

None of our products contain anything artificial. They never will. In 2018 we were the world’s first tea company to switch to Plant-Based, Biodegradable, non-GM and unbleached tea bags. We’re also constantly working on ways to be greener, from production to packaging.

Our Sustainability

Fair

In 1994 we became the UK’s first Fairtrade tea company. We even helped to write the Fairtrade Standards. 25 years later Clipper is the world’s largest buyer of Fairtrade tea, supporting over 114,000 producers and their families around the globe.

Our Ethics

Delicious

Taste is at the heart of what we do. Our Tea Guys, Dan and James (aka our master tea blenders), work tirelessly to create blends that taste better than anyone else’s. And we have won lots of lovely awards to prove it!

Our Expertise