UNITED KINGDOM – Unilever has announced its interest in the acquisition of Pukka Herbs Ltd., a pioneering British brand and the fastest growing organic tea company in the world.
The company has a turnover of over US$30million with growth of around 30% per annum.
Pukka Herbs was founded in 2001 by Tim Westwell and Sebastian Pole, and with 100% certified, organic and ethically sourced ingredients, Pukka’s health and wellness philosophy focuses on benefitting plants, people and animals.
Unilever therefore found a clear and defined strategy to acquire the company and ensure that the company whose market worth is currently at $1.6billion, will even become greater with more exposure and expansion.
Unilever’s Refreshment Category President, Kevin Havelock, said: “Pukka has strong values and a clear purpose that aligns fully with our own sustainable growth model. There’s a clear strategic, philosophical and cultural fit for us.”
“Both of us believe in business being a force for good in society. Tim and Sebastian have cultivated Pukka into a successful business without compromising their ingredients or their ideals.
The acquisition strengthens our tea business, addressing a gap in our portfolio. Pukka is a premium player in the natural, organic, health and wellness segment, which is fast-growing attractive and scalable. We look forward to bringing Pukka to even more consumers.”
Tim Westwell, Pukka co-founder and CEO said: “From day one, our mission was to connect more people with the incredible power of plants and herbs.
Sixteen years later, with 1.5 billion Pukka teas enjoyed, we’ve made huge progress – and it’s just the beginning.”
Sebastian Pole, Pukka co-founder and Master Herbsmith said: “Choosing Unilever came down to two fundamentals: scale and sustainability. It is a leader in social and environmental change and it wholeheartedly embraces Pukka’s beliefs. So, there’s a meeting of values.
Pukka will remain 100% organic and a champion for fair trading through pioneering schemes like Fair for Life, and continue to donate 1% of its sales to global environmental charities. With Unilever, we have new levels of reach and opportunity.”
September 7, 2017
