TYPHOO TEA
Digbeth
Birmingham

This web page is dedicated to Kenneth Williams who wrote the book, The Story Of Typhoo Tea. Ken joined Typhoo in 1952 and retired 35 years later. His meticulous, comprehensive book has been used to research all the information included below.

Tea is possibly the one product that everyone comes across or uses every day of their lives. In fact it some cases it seems that the day cannot start without tea and must be stopped for tea and must finish with tea!.

The tea plant (Cammellia sinensis)  was cultivated in China in the 4th century for medicinal purposes. In England the earliest mention of tea in writing seems to be in 1615. On 25th September 1660 the diarist, Samuel Pepys, wrote that he had tasted tea for the first time. Tea drinking had arrived in London but only by the rich, for it was very expensive. The earliest reference to tea drinking in Birmingham was in 1742.

Tea would have to come by  horse transport to Birmingham so this accounted for its expense. In 1767 one tea warehouse in Birmingham was Mansells (Sketchleys Birmingham Gazette). It would seem that public tea drinking came about by public houses opening tea gardens.

By the 19th century tea was being served in inns and coffee houses. By 1812 there were 25 recorded tea dealers in Birmingham.

In 1824 John Cadbury set up as a tea delaler and coffee roaster at 93 Bull Street.

In 1824 William Sumner, aged 24, bought Pratchetts and Nobles grocery and drugists shop at 97/98 Bull Ring. In 1820 he married into the Hutton family.

In 1830 he expanded buying a shop in Coleshill High Street

In 1863 Sumner published, 'A Popular Treatise on Tea ' as a result of the first trade missions to China.

Typhoo Tea was launched by chance in 1903 by William Sumner in Birmingham after his sister, Mary Augusta had tried some  tea that had been sent to her as a cure for indigestion. She had said to him simply," why dont you sell this tea!".

Sumner took advice on this new type of tea, found merchants and Typhoo Tea was launched from the site of where The Times furnishing buildings now houses Waterstones the booksellers.

Sumner had certain requirements for his new brand which were,

1. The name had to be distinctive and unlike others.
2. It had to be a name that would trip off the tongue.
3. It had to be one that would be protected by registration.

The name he decided on was Typhoo Tipps

The original Typhoo canal basin in Digbeth beside the factory still survives. The brand is now owned by the American group, Premier Foods

Premier Foods claim that a cup of Typhoo is drunk every 90 seconds!  That's 2.9 million cups of Typhoo made each year in the UK or 23 million packets sold annually.

More information about Typhoo is needed and we would love to hear from anyone who worked there.

Please use the email address on the home page to contact us.