As Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate looked to the future, it placed a strong emphasis on tradition, from using wood-burning ovens in its bakery to focusing on the people who made up its family of workers. The late 1990s saw the end of one era in the United Kingdom and the beginning of a new one. The business grew as a local concern throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1926, Jim Raleigh, nephew of the Taylors, became the buyer for C.E. At Bettys, where 12 different teas were on the menu, including two exclusive teas, 400,000 pots of tea were ordered a year. learn how over 7,000 companies got started! His ambition was to travel to England to establish his own business – and in 1907 he purchased a one-way ticket to London. In a nation where 91 percent of the coffee consumed was instant, Wild deliberately set about to find unusual coffees to introduce the British population to the diverse possibilities of the coffee bean. The years passed and by the early 1960s Bettys was led by Frederick’s nephew, Victor Wild. Over the next two decades Frederick opened more branches in Yorkshire, including a flagship branch in York modeled on the Queen Mary cruise liner. Traditional teas were still the biggest sellers, but specialty teas had grown to account for 25 percent of all sales. HG1 2QU. North Yorkshire Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate is an independent family business, passionate about some of the finer things in life – beautiful tea rooms, handmade cakes, traditional breads, proper tea and top quality coffee. Taylors of Harrogate paid £24,000, £555 pounds per kilogram, for 44 kilograms of Ceylon Flowery Pekoe tea worth abut £50 pounds, outbidding Twinings at the last historic auction for tea. "That culture is central to our success and the starting point for what we have identified as sustainable growth. The company also made a point of treating its employees well, providing them with outstanding benefits and getting to know each one individually. Bettys & Taylors Group Limited, 1 Parliament Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 2QU. © Copyright 2020 Bettys & Taylors Group Ltd. All rights reserved. The inspiration for the Bettys York came from Belmont's experiences on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary in 1936. These lines ensured fair prices and a sharing of profits with suppliers. Victor recognised the opportunity and in 1962 Victor and his family purchased C. E. Taylors, at the same time acquiring their cafes including the impressive Café Imperial in Harrogate. The company, owned by Frederick Belmont's third-generation descendants, bakes its own breads and cakes, makes its own chocolates and pastries, roasts its own coffees, and imports teas from all over the world that it blends and packages on the premises. Taylor's warehouse, which by then supplied the best retailers and hotels in West Riding with coffees and teas. We see them around but we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. Registered Number 500829 England, VAT Registration Number 405696146, Click here for specific contact details or contact our reception team on. Click here for specific contact details or contact our reception team on (0)1423 814000. ", Social and Environmental Responsibility: 1990-2005. 1 Parliament Street C.E. North Yorkshire Nearly 100 years since Bettys first opened its doors, and we’re still a family business, proud of our Yorkshire and Swiss roots, and still committed to quality, service and doing things properly. Taylors moved to Harrogate – becoming Taylors of Harrogate – and focused on the founding passion of buying and blending exceptional teas and coffees. The company's new Feelgood tea and coffee lines debuted in 2002. Fortunately, the beautiful countryside and clear air reminded him of his native Switzerland – so much so, that he decided to stay. Believing that its responsible business practices led to its success, Bettys & Taylors made a point of donating 30,000 pounds to local charities each year and sent staff to primary schools to share their expertise. Our timeline shares some of the key moments and milestones from our 100-year history. There are three divisions to the business: five tea rooms, a bakery, and a tea and coffee blending factory. Being a family business, it’s no surprise that we think of our business as a legacy, to be handed down to future generations of stakeholders. China joined Taylors' list of 30 countries to which it exported its tea blends in 2004 when Taylors shipped 30,000 pounds of specialty blends to Shanghai via its Taiwanese distribution partner. The company also had its own chain of Imperial Tea Shops and Kiosk Coffee Houses. We’re still family owned today and we work hard to stay true to our love of fairness, flavour and quality. Almost a decade after the merger, in the 1970s, Bettys & Taylors moved the company's tea and coffee importing business to Harrogate and began marketing what would become its famous Yorkshire Tea, a proprietary blend of black tea, with different versions to suit different waters. By 1990, Taylors was moving 500 tons of coffee, selling its beans in retail shops, Marks & Spencer department stores, and through catering outlets, as well as at Bettys, which had exclusives on three of its coffees. In 2000, it built a new craft bakery. Company History: Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate Ltd. is a company with roots in two long-established family businesses: tea and cake. There are historical public baths in Spa Lane, in keeping with the spa history of the Harrogate area. Bettys Bar was a favorite haunt of the airmen who were stationed in the Vale of York. In 2001, the company was named to the United Kingdoms's first list of Britain's Best Companies to Work For and also won the Queen's Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in recognition of its commitment to environmental and social initiatives in the counties where it engaged in business. Harrogate The combination of mouth-watering Swiss confectionery and Yorkshire hospitality in an elegant setting proved irresistible. C. E. Taylor & Co, meanwhile, was another family business with a number of Yorkshire tea rooms. Turning its attention closer to home, it replanted native woodland and repaired footpaths and dry-stone walls in the Yorkshire Moors and Dales in cooperation with the National Trust. It proved to be a winning combination. Bettys & Taylors also partnered with Oxfam in 1990 to start its Tree for Life campaign after Jonathan Wild, chairman of the company, promised his children that he would find a way to plant one million trees. Harrogate Now a fourth generation family business we’re committed to being a responsible business that cares about and shares its success with stakeholders. In addition to planting trees, Trees for Life also became involved in addressing broader Third World community needs, building wells, teaching agriculture skills, and educating children about the importance of trees. In 1919 he opened his first Bettys Café Tea Rooms in the fashionable spa town of Harrogate. Bettys & Taylors Group Limited, 1 Parliament Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 2QU. Taylors covered farmers' direct costs and added a profit margin to enable them to continue to grow their crop and secure their livelihood. The company's decision to limit growth was based on its belief that its strong team and hands-on, family culture would not survive geographic expansion. Taylors moved to Harrogate – becoming Taylors of Harrogate – and focused on the founding passion of buying and blending exceptional teas and coffees. The company's coffee business grew in the 1980s under the direction of coffee buyer Tony Wild, a member of the Belmont family, who had a degree in English and a love of travel. Between 1990 and 2005, the company planted three million trees in Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Guatemala, Ecuador, and other countries. In 1928, "new-fangled" teas from Kenya arrived, and Raleigh began including African tea in his blends. "People say we are mad not to have Bettys teashops on every high street, but we are not mad, we're wise," was the opinion of Jonathan Wild in a 2004 Director article. Returning to Harrogate, he commissioned the ship's interior designers to turn a dilapidated furniture store into tea rooms with huge curved windows, wood paneling, and ornate mirrors to resemble one of the state rooms of the luxury ocean liner.