{
    "id": 1005435,
    "title": "Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Copacker Reality",
    "slug": "who-makes-supermarket-tea",
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    "url": "https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/",
    "modified": "2026-05-30T23:09:11+01:00",
    "excerpt": "Supermarket own label tea is usually blended and packed by large tea companies and co packers, not the supermarket itself. guide.",
    "content_text": "Who makes supermarket tea, in summary: Supermarkets rarely grow or blend their own tea. Own-label is blended and packed by big tea companies (Tata/Tetley, Unilever, Bettys & Taylors) and specialist co-packers, from largely Kenyan and Indian leaf. It is normal practice, not a scandal, and it is exactly why own-brand \"dupes\" work.\n\nSource: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Co-Packer Reality. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/\n\"Who actually makes the supermarket's own tea?\" is a great question. This sits in the brand-history cluster beside the ethical scorecard.\nLast reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in February 2026.\nThe answer\nSupermarkets very rarely grow or blend tea themselves. Own-label tea is typically blended and packed by large tea companies and specialist co-packers, the same firms behind the big brands, which is why own-label and branded everyday tea are so often the same broad commodity category, the \"dupe\" reality the own brand vs branded guide sets out. This is not a secret scandal: co-packing is normal across food retail, a matter of efficiency rather than deception. What genuinely varies is the blend specification, the certification, and the tier (value vs premium own-label), even from the same packer.\nAt a glance \nSource: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Co-Packer Reality. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/\n\nQuestionThe read\n\nWho blends it?Big tea companies and specialist co-packers, not the shop\nWhere is the leaf from?Largely Kenyan and Indian CTC, the everyday commodity base\nIs co-packing dodgy?No, it is normal food-retail practice, efficiency not deception\nWhat varies?Blend spec, certification and tier (value vs premium own-label)\nPractical upshotBase is often similar, so cost per cup and a blind taste beat the logo\n\nWhy it changes what you drink\n\nSource: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Why it changes what you drink , Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Co-Packer Reality. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/\nOnce you know the same packers supply both own-label and branded everyday tea from similar Kenyan and Indian CTC, the logic of the value cluster falls into place: for standard everyday tea, an own-label can be a close, much cheaper match, which is exactly why supermarket dupes work. The differences that remain are real but specific, a tighter blend spec or a particular certification, rather than a wholesale gap in quality. So the honest test is the cup and the price, not the brand name on the box.\nEthics and value still apply\n\nSource: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Ethics and value still apply , Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Co-Packer Reality. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/\nTwo things do not disappear just because tea is own-label. Ethics still apply, and own-label can carry the same certifications as the brands, so check the pack rather than assuming, the schemes the Fairtrade guide explains. And value still rewards arithmetic: since the base is often similar, cost per cup and a blind taste matter far more than the logo, the method the cost per cup guide sets out. Read the certification on the actual pack, do the per-cup maths, and let a blind taste settle it.\nCommon questions\n\nSource: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Common questions , Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Co-Packer Reality. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/\nDo supermarkets make their own tea? Rarely. Own-label is blended and packed by big tea companies and specialist co-packers, not the retailer itself.\nIs own-label the same as the branded tea? Often the same broad commodity base from the same packers, which is why dupes work. Blend spec, certification and tier still vary.\nIs co-packing a con? No. It is standard across food retail, a matter of efficiency. The honest question is the cup and the price, not the label.\nIs own-label less ethical? Not necessarily. It can carry the same certifications as the brands, so check the actual pack rather than assuming.\nJudge the cup, not the logo\n\nSource: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Judge the cup, not the logo , Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Co-Packer Reality. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/Compare own-label against the brands on cost per cup and a blind taste across the brand directory or the full tea shop, and read the dupes guide first. Buy on the per-cup price, and free UK delivery is over \u00a335.Browse the tea range\nReference noted\n\nEncyclopaedia Britannica: Tea (history)\n\nFrom the curatorteas \u00b7 Freshness beats provenance for most drinkers. Buy a smaller bag more often. \nSource: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Who Makes Supermarket Tea? The Co-Packer Reality. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/who-makes-supermarket-tea/\nMore from the tea wikiOwn brand vs brandedSupermarket tea dupesEthical scorecardCost per cupFairtrade explainedOwnership map",
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