About Finest English Tea

Ringtons' story dates back to 1907 and still remains a family business today. It started when Samuel Smith began selling tea from a horse and cart in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. He started with an initial investment of £250. The company rapidly expanded and one year later, Sam needed two horses and four assistances! Our opportunity to bring this noticeably nicer tea to the states happened serendipitously. My father, a British expat, drank Ringtons just like his mother and her mother before her. Since we couldn't get Ringtons in America, every return trip from the UK would result in bringing back suitcases full of tea... much to the suspicion of customs officials. It was during the annual sortie to the Ringtons headquarters England to refill the personal caddy that opportunity arose by way of a chance meeting with CEO and 4th generation, Simon Smith, to share the iconic Ringtons brand with discerning American tea drinkers. This opportunity, coupled with ambition and passion, led to the forming of our company, “Finest English Tea, Inc.” After almost a year of fine-tuning the import side to comply with strict Federal standards, Ringtons Premium Teas became available in the US. Within 2 years of inception, we unfortunately lost one of the founders, my mother, to cancer. However, her ambition to bring the best British 'cuppa' to the States was not lost, but instead continues to be an inextinguishable driving force for my brother, my father and myself to carry on importing. Read their story