Brooke Bond
Encyclopedia
Brooke Bond is a brand-name of tea
owned by Unilever
, formerly an independent manufacturer in the United Kingdom
, known for its PG Tips
brand and its Brooke Bond tea cards.
who was born at 6 George Street, Ashton-under-Lyne
, Lancashire, England in 1845. He opened his first tea shop in 1869 at 23 Market Street, Manchester, Lancashire. There was never a "Mr Bond"; Arthur Brooke chose the name simply because it sounded pleasing to his ears.
In the 1950s and 1960s, packets of Brooke Bond tea included illustrated tea cards, usually 50 in a series, which were collected by many children. One of the most famous illustrators of these cards was Charles Tunnicliffe
, the internationally acclaimed bird painter. Most of the initial series were wildlife-based, including 'British Wild Animals', 'British Wild Flowers', 'African Wild Life', 'Asian Wild Life', and 'Tropical Birds'. From the late 1960s, they included historical subjects, such as 'British Costume', 'History of the Motor Car', and 'Famous Britons'. Complete sets and albums in good condition are now highly sought-after collectors' items. The inclusion of these cards in packets of tea ceased in 1999. There were well over 200 series issued and many of them have since been reprinted. A comprehensive list of the these series can be found at the London Cigarette Card Company
The most famous brand of Brooke Bond was PG Tips
, launched in 1930. The company merged with Liebig
in 1968, becoming Brooke Bond Liebig, which was acquired by Unilever
in 1984. The Brooke Bond name has since been dropped for all external communication by Unilever in the UK. However Gold Crown Foods Ltd is licensed by Unilever to use the Brooke Bond name for the Brooke Bond 'D' and Brooke Bond Choicest brands.
The Brooke Bond brand is still used in other countries, especially in India
. In Pakistan
, Brooke Bond Supreme is the number-one-selling tea brand. Unilever
markets it as a being stronger than its Lipton
Yellow Label blend.
The Brooke Bond factory is at Trafford Park
near Manchester
, although this is separate from Gold Crown Food's factory in Liverpool
.
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
owned by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
, formerly an independent manufacturer in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, known for its PG Tips
PG Tips
PG Tips is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom, manufactured by Unilever UK. It is claimed that Britons drink 35 million cups of the tea every day.-Brand name:...
brand and its Brooke Bond tea cards.
History
Brooke Bond & Company was founded by Arthur BrookeArthur Brooke (entrepreneur)
Arthur Brooke was the founder of the Brooke Bond Tea Company. Brooke was born in Lancashire and opened his first tea shop at 29 Market Street, Manchester in 1869. By the age of 30 he was making over £5000 per year, with shops in the large cities and a warehouse in London from where he supplied...
who was born at 6 George Street, Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
, Lancashire, England in 1845. He opened his first tea shop in 1869 at 23 Market Street, Manchester, Lancashire. There was never a "Mr Bond"; Arthur Brooke chose the name simply because it sounded pleasing to his ears.
In the 1950s and 1960s, packets of Brooke Bond tea included illustrated tea cards, usually 50 in a series, which were collected by many children. One of the most famous illustrators of these cards was Charles Tunnicliffe
Charles Tunnicliffe
Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe was an internationally renowned naturalistic painter of British birds and other wildlife. He spent most of his working life on the Isle of Anglesey.-Life:...
, the internationally acclaimed bird painter. Most of the initial series were wildlife-based, including 'British Wild Animals', 'British Wild Flowers', 'African Wild Life', 'Asian Wild Life', and 'Tropical Birds'. From the late 1960s, they included historical subjects, such as 'British Costume', 'History of the Motor Car', and 'Famous Britons'. Complete sets and albums in good condition are now highly sought-after collectors' items. The inclusion of these cards in packets of tea ceased in 1999. There were well over 200 series issued and many of them have since been reprinted. A comprehensive list of the these series can be found at the London Cigarette Card Company
The most famous brand of Brooke Bond was PG Tips
PG Tips
PG Tips is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom, manufactured by Unilever UK. It is claimed that Britons drink 35 million cups of the tea every day.-Brand name:...
, launched in 1930. The company merged with Liebig
Liebig Extract of Meat Company
The Liebig's Extract of Meat Company was the originator of Liebig and Oxo meat extracts and later Oxo beef stock cubes. It was named after Baron Justus von Liebig, the German 19th-century organic chemist who founded it.-Early development:...
in 1968, becoming Brooke Bond Liebig, which was acquired by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
in 1984. The Brooke Bond name has since been dropped for all external communication by Unilever in the UK. However Gold Crown Foods Ltd is licensed by Unilever to use the Brooke Bond name for the Brooke Bond 'D' and Brooke Bond Choicest brands.
The Brooke Bond brand is still used in other countries, especially in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Brooke Bond Supreme is the number-one-selling tea brand. Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
markets it as a being stronger than its Lipton
Lipton
Lipton is a brand of tea currently owned by Unilever.-History of Lipton Tea:Lipton was created at the end of the 19th century by a grocer, Sir Thomas Lipton, in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1893, he established the Thomas J. Lipton Co., a tea packing company with its headquarters and factory in Hobo ken,...
Yellow Label blend.
The Brooke Bond factory is at Trafford Park
Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the...
near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, although this is separate from Gold Crown Food's factory in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.