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LIPTON Teas and Infusions

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LIPTON Teas and Infusions
FormerlyEkaterra (2021–2023)
Company typePrivate
IndustryTea
PredecessorUnilever
Founded2021; 3 years ago (2021)
Headquarters
Rotterdam (South Holland)
,
Netherlands
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Nathalie Roos (CEO)
  • Pierre Laubies (chair of the board)[1]
ProductsTea
Brands
OwnerCVC Capital Partners
Number of employees
17,000 (2024)
Websiteliptonteas.com

LIPTON Teas and Infusions is a privately held company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, that produces tea and other herbal drinks.

It was formed in 2020 as a distinct division named Ekaterra within Unilever. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners reached an agreement in November 2021 to purchase the business for €4.5 billion.[2] The sale was completed in 2022,[3] after which Ekaterra was renamed as LIPTON Teas and Infusions. Unilever retained the use of the brands in India, Nepal, and Indonesia, as well as its ready-to-drink Lipton Iced Tea joint venture with PepsiCo. [4]

History

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LIPTON Teas and Infusions became an independent company following the completion of the sale of the majority of Unilever’s tea business to CVC Capital Partners in July 2022.[5]

A month after the sale, the company announced its withdrawal from the Russian market due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The situation in the country "does not allow the company to develop its business steadily", said a spokesperson.[6]

The company launched the Lipton Tea Innovation & Technology Academy together with the Government of Kenya and the University of Kabianga in February 2024 to offer training varying from vocational courses to advanced degrees in tea growing and harvesting.[7][8]

In May 2024, LIPTON Teas and Infusions announced an agreement to sell its tea estates in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda to Browns Investments with the proceeds reinvested into East Africa’s tea industry. [9][10]

Brands

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LIPTON Teas and Infusions owns over 30 tea brands including:

References

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  1. ^ Woolfson, Daniel (4 July 2022). "Ekaterra appoints new CEO and chair". The Grocer. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  2. ^ "CVC agrees €4.5bn deal to buy Unilever's tea business". www.ft.com.
  3. ^ "Unilever completes sale of tea business - Food & Drink Business". www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au.
  4. ^ Devlin2021-11-19T12:42:00+00:00, Ed. "Unilever offloads global tea business to CVC in €4.5bn deal". The Grocer.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Berry, Kim (6 July 2022). "Unilever completes sale of tea business". Food & Drink Business. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Чай Lipton и Brooke Bond перестанут продавать в России". rbc.ru (in Russian). 1 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Launch of Lipton Tea Innovation and Technology Academy, State House, Nairobi". YouTube. 22 February 2024.
  8. ^ https://www.kabianga.ac.ke/lipton-tea-innovation-and-technology-academy-ltita-launch. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ week, Stay up to date on the editors' picks of the (7 May 2024). "Sri Lanka's Browns acquires Lipton tea estates in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania". Business Daily. {{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "Lipton Teas and Infusions, Browns Investments agree long-term partnership". The Nation. 14 May 2024.
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