Lipton Teas and Infusions

Lipton Teas and Infusions is a Dutch multinational tea and herbal-drinks company headquartered in Amsterdam. It was created out of Unilever's decision to separate and sell most of its global tea business. The business first operated within Unilever as a distinct division called Ekaterra, established in 2020, and became an independent company after CVC Capital Partners agreed to acquire it in 2021. The transaction was completed in 2022, after which Ekaterra was renamed Lipton Teas and Infusions. The company is one of the world's largest tea businesses and manages a portfolio of more than 30 tea brands. Its best-known names include Lipton, PG Tips, Pukka, TAZO, T2, Brooke Bond, Red Rose, Salada, Lyons Tea, Scottish Blend, Joko, Bushells, Elephant and Laojee. The portfolio covers conventional black tea, green tea, herbal and botanical infusions, specialty tea, organic products and regionally important tea labels. Brand ownership and licensing arrangements are not completely uniform worldwide: Unilever retained the use of several tea brands in India, Nepal and Indonesia, while the Lipton ready-to-drink iced-tea joint venture with PepsiCo also remained outside the transaction. The company's origins are linked to Sir Thomas Lipton, whose British grocery business began in 1871 and later developed into a major tea name. Unilever acquired the Lipton tea business through several transactions between 1938 and 1972, eventually purchasing the remaining global business from Allied Suppliers. Lipton Teas and Infusions therefore combines a historic mass-market tea heritage with a post-divestment corporate structure focused on a broad international brand portfolio. After becoming independent, the company made decisions that reflected both geopolitical conditions and a shift in how it managed tea cultivation assets. In 2022 it announced its withdrawal from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. In 2024 it announced a tea-sector education initiative in Kenya with the Kenyan government and the University of Kabianga. Later that year it agreed to sell tea estates in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda to Browns Investments, with the stated intention of reinvesting the proceeds in East Africa's tea industry. These moves indicate a strategy combining branded consumer products with selective management of agricultural assets and industry development. Lipton Teas and Infusions is separate from Unilever even though the two businesses continue to have territorial and product-rights connections. Unilever retained certain country-specific brand rights and its ready-to-drink Lipton Iced Tea joint venture with PepsiCo. The independent company consequently operates a global tea portfolio while sharing the broader Lipton name with businesses that remain outside its ownership in selected markets.

The corporate history of Lipton Teas and Infusions is rooted in the development of the Lipton tea name and in Unilever's later restructuring of its global tea operations. Sir Thomas Lipton began a grocery retail business in the United Kingdom in 1871. The Lipton name subsequently became associated with tea, and the tea business was assembled within Unilever through a series of transactions rather than through one single acquisition. Unilever acquired parts of the business between 1938 and 1972 and bought the remaining global Lipton business from Allied Suppliers in 1972. For decades, tea was one of Unilever's major international consumer-goods activities. As portfolio priorities changed, Unilever reorganized most of its global tea interests into a distinct division called Ekaterra in 2020. This structure prepared the business for separation from the parent company while retaining a large collection of tea brands across multiple regions and product segments. In November 2021, CVC Capital Partners reached an agreement to purchase the business for €4.5 billion. The sale was completed in 2022, creating an independent tea company. Following completion, Ekaterra was renamed Lipton Teas and Infusions. The transaction did not transfer every Lipton-related activity worldwide. Unilever retained the use of several brands in India, Nepal and Indonesia, and its ready-to-drink Lipton Iced Tea joint venture with PepsiCo was also excluded from the transferred business. These retained rights mean that the Lipton name can represent different corporate arrangements depending on the market and product category. The newly independent company owns a portfolio of more than 30 brands. Its holdings include globally recognizable names such as Lipton, PG Tips, Pukka, TAZO and T2, as well as brands with stronger regional positions, including Bushells, Brooke Bond, Elephant, Joko, Laojee, Lyons Tea, Red Rose, Salada and Scottish Blend. The portfolio encompasses mainstream tea, specialty tea and herbal products, allowing the company to serve both everyday consumption and premium or wellness-oriented occasions. In the first period after the transaction, the company responded to geopolitical disruption by announcing its withdrawal from Russia in 2022. A company spokesperson said that conditions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine did not allow the business to develop there in a stable way. The company also continued to engage with the tea-growing sector in East Africa. In February 2024 it launched the Lipton Tea Innovation & Technology Academy with the Government of Kenya and the University of Kabianga. The initiative was designed to provide education and training across tea growing and harvesting, ranging from vocational courses to advanced degrees. In May 2024, Lipton Teas and Infusions announced an agreement to sell its tea estates in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda to Browns Investments. The company said the proceeds would be reinvested in East Africa's tea industry. Together, these developments show a business balancing international branded-product management with changes to its agricultural asset base and support for tea-sector capabilities.

1. 2024Kenyan tea academy launched

   The company launched the Lipton Tea Innovation & Technology Academy with the Government of Kenya and the University of Kabianga.

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2. 2024East African tea estates sale announced

   An agreement was announced to sell tea estates in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda to Browns Investments, with proceeds intended for reinvestment in East Africa's tea industry.

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3. 2022Sale completed and Ekaterra renamed

   The sale was completed, the business became independent, and Ekaterra was renamed Lipton Teas and Infusions.

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4. 2022Russian market exit announced

   Lipton Teas and Infusions announced that it would withdraw from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

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5. 2021CVC agrees to acquire the tea business

   CVC Capital Partners agreed to purchase the Ekaterra business from Unilever for €4.5 billion.

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6. 2020Ekaterra is established within Unilever

   Unilever formed Ekaterra as a distinct division containing most of its global tea holdings.

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7. 1972Unilever acquires the remaining global Lipton business

   Unilever purchased the remainder of the global Lipton business from Allied Suppliers.

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8. 1938Unilever begins acquiring parts of the Lipton tea business

   Unilever began acquiring the Lipton tea business through a series of transactions that continued over subsequent decades.

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9. 1871Thomas Lipton begins grocery retailing

   Sir Thomas Lipton started a grocery retail business in the United Kingdom, providing the historical origin of the Lipton name.

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A global, multi-brand tea and herbal-infusion company spanning accessible everyday tea, specialty products, organic offerings and regionally established labels.

• LiptonMainstream tea

  The company's principal global tea name and the historic brand associated with Thomas Lipton. Lipton products form part of the mainstream tea portfolio, although rights to the name are divided by market: Unilever retained use in India, Nepal and Indonesia, and the ready-to-drink Lipton Iced Tea joint venture with PepsiCo remained outside the divested company.

• PG TipsBlack tea

  A major tea brand in the Lipton Teas and Infusions portfolio. It represents the company's established everyday tea segment and is particularly associated with traditional black-tea consumption.

• PukkaHerbal and organic infusions

  A portfolio brand focused on herbal and botanical infusions. Its inclusion gives Lipton Teas and Infusions a presence beyond conventional black and green tea and supports the company's specialty and wellness-oriented product range.

• TAZOTea and herbal infusions

  A tea and infusion brand included among the company's internationally managed labels. It contributes specialty and flavored infusion products to the wider portfolio.

• T2Specialty tea

  A specialty-tea brand within the company's portfolio, extending its reach into premium and exploratory tea products alongside larger everyday-tea labels.

• Brooke BondTea

  A longstanding tea brand owned by Lipton Teas and Infusions in many markets. The company does not hold the same rights to Brooke Bond in India, Nepal and Indonesia, where Unilever retained use of specified brands.

• Regional tea brandsRegional tea portfolio

  The company also manages regionally important names including Bushells, Elephant, Joko, Laojee, Lyons Tea, Red Rose Tea, Salada and Scottish Blend. Red Rose Tea and Salada are identified with the Canadian market, while Lyons Tea is associated with Ireland.

• 2024Tea Innovation and Technology AcademyStrategy

  The tea sector required training and technical capacity in cultivation and harvesting.

  What changed. The company partnered with the Kenyan government and the University of Kabianga to launch an academy offering vocational through advanced-degree training.

  Aftermath. The initiative expanded the company's involvement in education and tea-sector capability development in Kenya.

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• 2024Sale of East African tea estatesM&A

  The company reviewed its ownership of tea estates in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda as part of its post-divestment operating model.

  What changed. Lipton Teas and Infusions agreed to sell the estates to Browns Investments.

  Aftermath. The company said the proceeds would be reinvested in East Africa's tea industry.

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• 2022Withdrawal from RussiaStrategy

  The company assessed that conditions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine did not permit stable business development.

  What changed. Lipton Teas and Infusions announced its exit from the Russian market.

  Aftermath. The company ceased pursuing its Russian-market business; further operational details are not specified in the cited material.

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• 2021Sale of most of Unilever's global tea business to CVCM&A

  Unilever had reorganized most of its global tea holdings as Ekaterra and agreed to divest the business.

  What changed. CVC Capital Partners agreed to acquire the business for €4.5 billion.

  Aftermath. The transaction completed in 2022, creating an independent company that was renamed Lipton Teas and Infusions.

  Transaction value. €4.5 billion agreed purchase price (Agreement announced in November 2021; completion in 2022)

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• 2024Tea Innovation and Technology Academy launched in Kenya

  Lipton Teas and Infusions partnered with the Government of Kenya and the University of Kabianga to establish an academy offering training related to tea cultivation and harvesting, from vocational education to advanced degrees.

  Other
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• 2024Tea-estate sale in East Africa agreed with Browns Investments

  The company announced an agreement to sell its tea estates in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda to Browns Investments, stating that proceeds would be reinvested in East Africa's tea industry.

  M&A
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• 2022Lipton Teas and Infusions withdraws from Russia

  The company announced that it would leave the Russian market after the invasion of Ukraine, citing conditions that prevented it from developing the business in a stable manner.

  RegulationOther
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1. Lipton Teas and Infusions