Boston Tea Party Revisted

A local tea packing company, east Belfast's Punjana, has broken into the US tea market having agreed two major listings.

One is with Tree of Life, a nationwide distributor with a turnover in excess of $430 million, and the second with Boston-based Stop and Shop, a major retailer on the eastern seaboard with 300 stores.

This represents a substantial breakthrough for Punjana Tea, which already counts the UK's leading retailers among its customers.

The move is against a backdrop of earlier news that one of Northern Ireland's top teas - Nambarrie - is no longer being packed in central Belfast.

In April it emerged that while sales and distribution will continue locally and the Nambarrie brand will be retained, as many as 43 jobs were lost with the closure of the Nambarrie factory.

While Nambarrie has been in Belfast for more than 100 years, the decision to consider closure was made by its parent firm, R Twining and Company. It said it needed to consolidate its UK manufacturing operations in the face of increasing global competition.

In counterpoint, the current Punjana success followed a successful Invest Northern Ireland-sponsored trade mission to Boston and New York in March, which was designed to develop business in new markets for Northern Ireland companies with export potential.

Punjana is the market leader by volume in Northern Ireland, and has been blending quality teas from selected gardens in Assam and Kenya since 1896, and remains a respected family-owned and managed business.

A recently launched Punjana Fairtrade blend has also been listed by all major multiples both within the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Around 40% of Punjana's business now comes from customers outside of Northern Ireland.

Ross Thompson, a third-generation co-owner of Punjana Ltd, said: "The listing with Tree of Life and Stop and Shop gives us a solid foothold in this important marketplace and it has enabled us to approach other retailers in North America with decisions pending by a number of other potential customers.

"We are immensely encouraged by the interest in our quality blends and the company’s heritage. We’ve found customers to be fascinated by the company’s story and impressed by the provenance of all our teas," he added.

"Interestingly," he contionued, "we have had an extremely encouraging response from US retailers to the Punjana Fairtrade and Decaffeinated varieties, alongside excellent reviews for the Punjana Irish Breakfast tea due to be launched in the US in July 2008."

Invest NI's Trade Director, Alan Hingston, commenting on Punjana's new business, said: "These important listings for Punjana's products demonstrate the potential that the US offers for many types of Northern Ireland companies across a very broad range of business sectors, including established consumer goods."

See: Tea Time Over For Nambarrie

(BMcC)