Based in Merseyside, tea giant Typhoo has brought Rocío Ortiz and Lesley Western into its business as it looks to become more sustainable. Tony McDonough reports
Merseyside-based tea giant Typhoo has announced a new senior hire and the appointment of a consultant as it looks to make the company more sustainable.
Typhoo, which operates a production facility in Moreton in Wirral, has recruited Rocío Ortiz as its new responsible sourcing manager. It has also announced Lesley Western will be working with the business as a corporate social responsibility consultant.
It has been a challenging couple of years for the 118-year old business. It reported pre-tax losses of almost £30m in 2019, putting jobs at risk.
In July its then owner, Indian conglomerate Apeejay Surrendra, had secured a significant investment in the business from private equity outfit Zetland Capital, which has taken a majority shareholding in the firm. Existing investor Abercross also expanded its shareholding.
Des Kingsley, chief executive of Typhoo Tea, said: “With the support of our shareholders, we have a renewed focus on growing Typhoo Tea and its brands, but it’s important to us that we do so in a responsible manner.
“The new team brings an incredible wealth of experience in brand building and responsible sourcing strategy, and have hit the ground running as we continue to rebuild one of the nation’s favourite tea brands.
“Rocío brings a critical understanding of the social impact businesses can have on communities, having spent five years working on community socioeconomic development and wellbeing in Africa and India.
“Her work with the Spanish Red Cross focussed on developing sustainable livelihoods for rural communities and women farmers, bringing first-hand insight on why it is important that businesses behave responsibly.
“Lesley’s understanding of the retail sector has already been a powerful asset for us. Her work for both brands and our retail partners, including Tesco and ASDA, will provide important insight for us as we reassert our brands across all channels.”