![]() Bond, but Arthur Brooke thought it sounded better. Arthur Brooke had founded Brooke Bond and Company in 1869, starting with a single tea shop. Estabrooks sold Red Rose to Brooke Bond & Company of England. The business continued to expand and in 1932, a new chapter in the history of Red Rose began. In 1929, Red Rose introduced tea bags for the first time. Initially, distribution was limited to cities near the Canadian border such as Portland, Buffalo, and Detroit. Red Rose was primarily sold in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, but soon distribution expanded into other parts of Canada and into the United States, beginning in the 1920’s. Estabrooks’ innovation meant that tea lovers could count on the quality of tea in every Red Rose package - a tradition that continues to this day. Before, tea was sold loose from tea chests by local merchants and quality varied a great deal. He was a local business leader who came up with a great idea: produce and pack a quality blended tea which was consistent from cup to cup. He attended Kerrís Business College in Saint John, New Brunswick, and went into business himself in 1894 on Dock Street in downtown Saint John. Theodore Harding Estabrooks was born in Wicklow, Carleton County, New Brunswick, in 1861. “The story of Red Rose Tea began way back in 1890 in Canada. Who, and what, was the Red Rose Tea Company? I never thought to ask that question until a recent trip home to Canada. It was sheer marketing genius because every age group looked forward to the next box of Red Rose Tea! A brief history of the ceramic company is featured below. There was seldom a household visited that did not have window sills, shelves, and china cabinets lined with these tiny figurines. We could hardly wait to tear open the box of tea bags to retrieve the miniature ceramic figurine tucked inside nestled in the tea bags. What also made Red Rose Tea exciting and memorable while I was growing up were all the small, collectible, figurines that were featured prizes in each package. After they sipped and learned it was available only in Canada, they would say, “Only in Canada, you say? Pity!” The advertisements usually featured staunch British folks having Red Rose Tea. A series of television commercials from the 1970’s made the above phrase a household saying. ![]() Growing up in Canada, Red Rose Tea was definitely the tea of choice from the time I was a child.
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