CASE STUDY – Clipper Teas 2016

Founded in Dorset in 1984, Clipper is the UK’s No 1 Fairtrade tea brand.  We manufacture and export a wide range of organic and Fairtrade teas and coffees – from Everyday Blends to Green Tea and infusions.

Our products are made with pure ingredients, from the highest quality sources, with nothing artificial added. Our strapline is Natural, Fair and Delicious. Today, Clipper products are sold in 50 countries around the world, but all our tea is still blended on site in Dorset at our Beaminster Tea Factory.

International trade has become a key part of our business, and we have been exporting our Fairtrade and organic teas and coffees around the world for many years. Clipper Tea was the first Fairtrade tea company in the UK, and we lead the market in this area – even helping to set the Fairtrade standards. All our teas are sourced from the very best tea estates in Africa, India and Sri Lanka, and we care passionately about two things – clean, great-tasting ingredients and good working conditions for tea estate workers.

Currently we are experiencing double digit year on year growth across our top 10 export markets, and we are confident this will continue to grow over the next few years.  We are projecting big growth in a number of key regions, including the Middle East, South-East Asia and North America.

 In recent years, we’ve noticed a growing appetite for organic food and drinks across Europe and worldwide. Provenance of food has also become far more important to consumers, and we realised that our British heritage was a key selling point. Everything we produce for Clipper is blended in Dorset, and we trade on that unique selling point.

Clipper’s range of teas have proved popular from an export perspective, notably:

  • Infusions (including Organic Sleep Easy, Organic Lemon & Ginger and Organic)
  • Green teas (including Organic Green Lime & Ginger and Organic Green)
  • Black teas (including Organic Decaf Everyday and Organic Earl Grey)

In the past few years, we have opened new markets in countries as diverse as South Korea, Chile, Estonia, Latvia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UAE, India, Kazakhstan, Georgia and the Philippines. The most successful market for Clipper has been Finland, which has benefited from working alongside a strong local partner.

 International trade has become a key part of our business, and we have been exporting our Fairtrade and organic teas and coffees around the world for many years. Today, we are proud of the fact that Clipper products are sold in 50 countries around the world, but all our tea is still blended on site in Dorset at our Beaminster Tea Factory.” – Michael Evans, Export Director, Wessanen UK

Sectors: Food & Drink
Countries: Canada, Chile, Latvia, Philippines, South Korea, and United Arab Emirates
Topics: Business Development, Export Process, and Market Research
Export Action Plan