British East Tea Company
Through the east india company and with enormous support of the british people britain was able to expand the empire and become a world contender in economics politics and commerce.
British east tea company. By the late 1800s china was producing 250 000 tonnes of tea with 134 000 tonnes exported to countries such as britain. American and british schoolchildren are taught about the infamous tea act of 1773 which led to the rebellious boston tea party. The east india company was an english company formed for the exploitation of trade with east and southeast asia and india incorporated by royal charter on december 31 1600 it was started as a monopolistic trading body so that england could participate in the east indian spice trade it also traded cotton silk indigo saltpeter and tea and transported slaves. Meet our tea master.
111 the east india company introduced a system of merit based appointments that provided a model for the british and indian civil service. It all begins with our tea master lalith lenadora and his team. Black tea mixed with milk and sugar became a staple in britain s industrialised cities and companies such as the east india company grew up around the import of tea leaves into the united kingdom. From the tender age of 18 as a trainee tea planter lalith has built his expertise in tea over a 35 year career rising to general manager of 22 estates in sri lanka before joining the east india company.
In addition to india the british east india company had extensive dealings in china because of the lucrative opium trade. The east india company was the first company to record the chinese usage of orange flavoured tea which led to the development of earl grey tea. The tea act of 1773 was an act of great britain s parliament to reduce the amount of tea held by the financially insecure british east india company. In the decades leading up to pitt the younger s commutation act tea smuggling had really hit the profits of the east india company.
Needing to increase profits and offload the surplus tea that the company had accumulated during the worst years of the smuggling it asked the british government for permission to export direct to america which at this time was still a british colony. It became a catalyst for the boston tea party. The tea the sons of liberty dumped into boston harbor was in fact from china. The tea destroyed during the boston tea party was described as bohea type.
The uk market is dominated by five brands pg tips owned by unilever tetley owned by tata tea limited typhoo owned by the indian conglomerate apeejay surrendra group twinings owned by associated british foods and yorkshire tea owned by bettys and taylors of harrogate tetley leads the market with 27 share followed by pg tips with about 24 share.