Founded in 2000, Newby Teas is the world’s most awarded luxury tea brand. Based in London, the company now operates globally, supplying hundreds of esteemed hotels, Michelin starred restaurants and luxury retailers with the finest of teas. Newby Teas' own tea boutiques are located in Switzerland and the Middle East. The company is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, a global organisation committed to improving the lives and environment of tea workers throughout the world.
Learn a little more about our latest Walpole member, Newby Teas, in our interview with its Founder, and Chairman, Nirmal Sethia.
Walpole: Tell us about the history of your brand…
Nirmal Sethia: My own connection with tea dates back to the 1950s, when a chance encounter led to my appointment as an apprentice tea taster at age 14. Within a couple of years, I had started my own tea buying business in Kolkata, India, and later bought a tea garden in Assam.
By the 1990s, I realised tea was becoming a mass-market commodity where the industry was more concerned with profit than quality. Establishing Newby Teas in 2000 was my way of trying to change that – a tea company that is highly selective and rigorous in its quality control. The company has become the place for many high-end restaurants, hotels and leisure venues to find the finest teas for their guests.
What is your brand best known for?
The quality of the leaf is central to our mission to serve the world’s finest teas. We only use hand-picked leaves, and mostly by the ‘fine picked’ method that selects just the bud and the top two leaves.
We use only leaves from the prime seasons or flushes for all our traditional teas and, as we are not tied into agreements with specific gardens, we can buy where the quality is highest. I hope this commitment is now synonymous with the Newby Teas name.
What has been a significant achievement in your company’s timeline?
We are the only luxury tea brand in the world to have established a state-of-the-art preservation and packing facility in India, which is an important factor in safeguarding the character of our teas.
The choice of location was strategic, as it means that teas from India, Taiwan, China, Japan and Sri Lanka can arrive at the facility within days, not months, where they are kept in optimal conditions for each type, using 24-hour air purification and humidity control systems. Our facility has received accreditation from BRC Global Standards, SEDEX, ISO and HACCP, and operates to the highest standards in every step of the process.
Why do you love the brand?
Because it stands for something beyond its own products. I am proud to say that all profits made by Newby Teas go to my registered charity, the N Sethia Foundation. The foundation is involved in projects supporting education of girls from impoverished communities in India, medical research, preservation of cultural and historical heritage, disaster relief and support of people suffering from human conflicts.
As an independent company, we are also able to challenge industry standards and raise awareness of potential health issues. We believe that we have a moral responsibility to our consumers to ensure that our teas are the healthiest they can be, and strongly believe that some mass market tea brands may be detrimental to long-term health. Of course, these are issues that no other tea company is going to raise.
Why does your brand represent the very best in British luxury?
Luxury is about trust, legacy and a commitment towards the product and its consumer. I feel we have built a brand that has earned the trust of its customers, and that represents a very special part of British culture. Newby is proud of its British heritage and has gone on to be a global success, becoming the most awarded luxury tea brand in the world.
Newby has won 68 awards from the Global Tea Championship, an independent competition judged by highly reputed tea masters who evaluate the product purely on character and taste. Seven packaging design awards, from Pentawards and DBA Design Effectiveness Awards, also recognise the effort the brand makes to present our teas in ways that reflect tea’s rich heritage.
What attracted you to becoming a Walpole member?
Walpole members embody the best of British heritage, offering something special and unique, and I I see Newby as a strong representative of these values. For example, because preservation of heritage is important to me, I started a tea museum, named after my late wife. The Chitra Collection has over 3000 pieces dating from the 10th century to the modern day. Notable pieces include tea caddies by Fabergé, a teapot that was owned by Admiral Lord Nelson, Winston Churchill’s daughter’s teapot, President Roosevelt’s tea caddy and a tea kettle of Marie-Antoinette.
Nobody has previously created a museum dedicated to preserving the art and history of tea, and I hope that, in years to come, this collection will become a part of British and world heritage. A good example, I believe, of what those of us in the luxury sector can do to build a legacy for the future.
If you could collaborate with another Walpole member, which one would you choose?
I am sure there are a lot of possibilities, as we believe there are many synergies between luxury brands in different sectors in how they approach their clients and communicate their values. We have worked with luxury brands in hospitality and beyond, and these partnerships have given rise to the most inspiring creative ideas.
Tea is a great unifier, bringing people together to share the moment. Everyone is welcome to come and have a cup of tea with us – it could be the start of another great collaboration.
Tell us about an exciting development or new launch for your brand in the coming months?
We recently opened our third luxury tea boutique and majlis in Abu Dhabi, UAE. We previously opened stores in Dubai, UAE, and in Gstaad, Switzerland, but this one is a totally new concept. In local tradition, it includes a place for conversation – a majlis – where customers can sit down and try one of 60 rare teas, all of which I have personally selected.
I am also excited that we are working on opening our flagship store and showroom in London, as well as more experiential projects around the globe.
> Newby Teas is currently offering a 20% discount on online purchases to all Walpole members. Use the code WALPOLE20 at checkout. newbyteas.com
