During the war years, Lipton had enlarged its U.S. sales and in August 1919 it moved its packing plant and main office to a large eleven-story building in Hoboken, New Jersey. He established the Thomas J Lipton Co.® tea packaging company and began to look for ways to make packaging and shipping less expensive.
Instead of arriving in crates, loose tea was packed in multiple weight options. He also cut out the middleman and was the first to sell loose tea direct to the masses. Lipton became known for selling reliable product at affordable prices. Another advantage: Lipton could advertise his company directly on the packets.
Soon after, tea bags were accidentally discovered by American merchant. Thomas Sullivan distributed samples of his loose tea to customers in small hand-sewn silk bags, and Thomas Lipton saw the future, and was the first to start selling tea bags. He was also the first to print brewing instructions on tea bag tags.
Soon, Lipton's bright yellow label with its red shield was everywhere, and his tea became popular in America as well as the U.K.
In 1937, six years after Sir Thomas's death, the US operations of Thomas J Lipton were acquired by Unilever, marking the group's first move into the tea business.
Iced tea powder mix was first introduced to the USA in 1964, reaching Europe in 1978 and since then, Iced Tea brand has continued to grow and grow. Bottled Lipton® Iced Tea, which was launched in 1991, is now enjoyed in more than 100 countries worldwide. Currently, Lipton was the leading brand of bagged and loose leaf tea in the United States
History of Lipton tea in United States
