Typhoo Tea Factory
Construction began on the future home of Typhoo in 1952 when Cadbury Bros Ltd built a factory in Moreton, Wirral to help revitalise Merseyside post-WW2. The factory was completed two years later, and on September 17, it was officially opened by Mrs. Lawrence Cadbury. The focus was on producing Cadbury chocolates, biscuits, hot chocolate powder, and even instant mashed potatoes. The site featured a library and social club for workers, fostering a strong sense of pride among the workforce. Over time, the workforce expanded to include family members and began producing products from other brands after Cadbury merged with Schweppes in 1969. This expansion included Typhoo in 1978, leading to over 4,000 employees at the peak of its success.
In 1986, Cadbury Schweppes decided to sell Typhoo, Kenco coffee, and Jeyes Fluid brands to focus on their main products. Typhoo was bought by a management team and formed a new company called Premier Brands. Shortly after, Premier Brands acquired Melrose's, the Glengettie Tea Company, Ridgways, and the Jersey Trading Corporation. In 1990, Premier Brands was acquired by Premier Foods, which was known as Hillsdown Holdings at the time. Then, in October 2005, the Indian company Apeejay Surrendra Group purchased the brands for £80 million from Premier Foods and established The Typhoo Tea Company. The manufacturing of these brands continued at Moreton on the Wirral.
Typhoo faced a tough year in 2018, with record high material costs and unfavourable currency movements leading to a £20m loss. The company responded by proposing to cut a quarter of its headquarters' posts to secure its future. By 2020, Typhoo Tea reported even higher losses, raising concerns about its ability to stay afloat. Pre-tax losses for the year ending March 2019 were £29.9m, up from £20m the previous year. The company's accounts highlighted uncertainties regarding refinancing and the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Typhoo attributed its struggles to an overly aggressive sales growth strategy focused on expanding its own-label business.
Typhoo was bought by Zetland Capital, a British private-equity firm, in 2021. During the same year, the popular BBC documentary 'Inside The Factory' showcased the Moreton site, capturing numerous scenes of the bustling factory. At its peak, the factory churned out a staggering 14 million teabags every 24 hours, accounting for approximately a quarter of the tea consumed in Britain daily.
In March 2023, Typhoo's parent company made the unfortunate decision to shut down their factory in Moreton, resulting in the loss of 85 jobs. Only 5 positions were saved and moved to a new 'brand hub' in Birkenhead. On the 6th of July 2023, the final bag of tea rolled off the production line, marking the end of 45 years of tea production on the Wirral. Since the factory's closure, Typhoo's production has been outsourced to a third party.
