House Tea Blends

Tea Blends devised by our owner, David Pogson. His 50 years experience in the Tea trade show through in the strength and character of these teas.

A Short History Of Northern Tea Merchants

(by David Pogson)

My father, Albert, started trading as the Spire Tea Co. in the 1930´s, having entered the Tea Trade in 1926. He wore a bowler hat and plus fours and sold high quality tea door to door from an Austin 7 van. My earliest memory of tea is that it was rationed for quite a number of years during and after the Second World War. The wonderful smell of tea always emanated from my father´s tiny office and the love of that smell became so implanted in me that I was able to resist all his wishes to ‘do better for myself´ than he had done and when I was 16, he reluctantly agreed to let me follow in his footsteps. For the next few years, at a wage of £3.00 per week, I knocked on thousands of doors offering our Tea for sale. As with many father and son business relationships, problems developed and on Friday 13th March 1959, he sacked me.

I decided to start a business of my own, selling teas the only way I knew how - door to door - and Northern Tea Merchants was born. Dad had taught me well and I succeeded. It was a great joy to find that I possess the gift of a well developed sense of taste that enables me to select teas from the world´s auctions that ensure I market products that are of a consistent high quality.

It was following the introduction of Tea Bags into the UK (previously regarded as a strange American product) in the 1960´s that enabled expansion to take place and gradually the emphasis changed from selling door to door to supplying grocer´s shops. We were selling Tea Bags in the UK before Brooke Bond and Typhoo! However, with the sad demise of the private grocer, the emphasis again changed and our main customers became caterers.

I´m pleased to say that with the passage of time the rift between my father and me healed completely and when he retired in 1971, his one man business amalgamated with mine. I expect the family business to continue long into the future. My son James works in it and has become very well versed in its various aspects. Over the years I have bought other businesses to add to mine. In 1974 I bought ‘Direct Wholesale Teas (Sheffield) Ltd.´ and in 1993 I bought ‘Classic Coffees´.

I have seen many changes since I first started in the Tea Trade but my love for it is not diminished. Today I employ 24 local people, have a manufacturing capacity of over 3 million tea bags per week and 7 tonnes a week coffee roasting capacity. I have given radio and TV interviews about tea and judged Catering Tea Competitions at the request of The Tea Council. However, the greatest part of my time is spent dealing with new customers - I still want to instil my enthusiasm for tea into them. Tea is my business, my hobby, my love, my life!