Salada tea explained

Salada tea
Type:Private
Founder:Peter Charles Larkin
Industry:Food and beverage
Products:Tea
Owner:Redco Foods, Inc. (U.S.)
LIPTON Teas and Infusions (Canada)

Salada tea is a Canadian brand of tea currently sold in Canada by LIPTON Teas and Infusions and in the United States by Salada Foods, a division of Redco Foods, Inc.

History

The Salada tea business was founded in Toronto in 1892 by Montreal-born businessman Peter Charles Larkin. His main innovation was to replace tea sold loose from tea chests with a product packaged in foil. This helped establish a uniform flavor for Salada and the promise of consistent freshness to its drinkers. It became one of the leading teas in Canada and the northeastern United States.

By 1917, Salada tea was so popular in the United States that Larkin's company (the Salada Tea Company Limited) was able to establish a U.S. headquarters, blending and packaging plant at 330 Stuart Street in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] Designed by architects Densmore and LeClear, the building featured large bronze doors by Henry Wilson inscribed with images of the history of the Ceylon tea trade, as well as Larkin's own contributions to a commitment to quality in the field.[2] Although the building has changed hands several times, the doors are still there.[3]

By the 1950s, Salada had established plants across North America. In 1957, the company was acquired by Shirriff-Horsey.[4] From 1969 to 1988, it was owned in Canada by Kellogg Canada.[5]

In 1988, Salada was acquired by Redco Foods, Inc., a company formed to produce Red Rose Tea in the U.S. under license from Unilever.[6] Not long thereafter, Redco Foods sold Salada (Canada) to Unilever, so that each company produced both brands in their respective country. Since 1995, Redco Foods has been owned by Teekanne of Germany.[7]

Since 2018, Salada-branded tea in the U.S. has been produced under license by Harris Tea Company. The Salada brand in the U.S. is still owned by Redco Foods,[8] [9]

Since 2022, Salada tea in Canada is a brand of LIPTON Teas and Infusions, following Unilever divesting most of its tea business to CVC Capital Partners and with it the ownership of Salada brand in Canada.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ukers . William Harrison . All about tea . 2 . The Tea and coffee trade journal company . 1935 . 2015-03-24 .
  2. Book: Shand-Tucci . Douglass . Built in Boston: City and Suburb, 1800-2000 . Univ of Massachusetts Press . 1999 . 199–200 . 978-1558492011 . 2015-03-24 .
  3. Web site: Salada Tea Doors: The history of the tea trade is told in bas-relief on this historic pair of Boston doors. Atlas Obscura. February 25, 2017.
  4. Web site: Salada History . 27 January 2016.
  5. Web site: Kellogg Company. Company Histories. 27 January 2016.
  6. News: Kidd. Kenneth. Red Rose seller agrees to buy Kellogg's Salada tea business. Toronto Star. 17 February 1988. C3.
  7. Web site: Email from John Rigg. TeaCard.com.
  8. Web site: Terms and Conditions .
  9. Web site: Salada .
  10. Web site: Canadian Trademarks Details: SALADA & DESIGN — 0301045 — Canadian Trademarks Database - Intellectual property and copyright - Canadian Intellectual Property Office - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada . 2023-08-08 . ised-isde.canada.ca.