Lyons Tea (Ireland)

Lyons is a brand of tea belonging to Unilever that is sold in Ireland. It is one of the two dominant tea brands in the market within the Republic of Ireland, along with Barry's Tea.[1]

This article is about the Irish tea company. For the British food and restaurant company, see J. Lyons and Co.
Lyons tea branding

Lyons Tea was first produced by J. Lyons and Co., a catering empire created and built by the Salmons and Glucksteins, a German-Jewish immigrant family based in London. Starting in 1904, J Lyons began selling packaged tea through its network of teashops. Soon after, they began selling their own brand Lyons Tea through retailers in the UK, Ireland and around the world.[2] In 1918, Lyons purchased Hornimans and in 1921 they moved their tea factory to J. Lyons and Co., Greenford at that time, the largest tea factory in Europe.

In 1962, J Lyons and Company (Ireland) became Lyons Irish Holdings.[3] After a merger with Allied Breweries in 1978, Lyons Irish Holdings became part of Allied Lyons (later Allied Domecq)[4] who then sold the company to Unilever in 1996. [5] Today, Lyons Tea is produced in England.[6] Lyons Tea was a major advertiser in the early decades of RTÉ Television, featuring the "Lyons minstrels" and coupon-based prize competitions.[7]

The story of J Lyons is told in the book 'Legacy: One Family, a Cup of Tea and the Company that Took On the World' by Thomas Harding (writer) [8]

A Lyons Tea sign is shown in the background in a scene in Castletown in The Quiet Man (1952), the iconic film directed by John Ford that starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Again in Ford’s ‘’How Green Was My Valley’’ (1941) an advertisement for Lyon’s Tea is to be seen in an early scene under the shop window near the church.

In the BBC/RTÉ Mrs Brown's Boys TV Series, a box of Lyons Tea is on top of the bread bin in Agnes Brown's kitchen.

References
  1. Bodkin, Peter (21 November 2014). "The Briefcase: Not-so Irish brands, Sweden's helping hand and Darth Vader's deep pockets". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  2. Richardson, David John (September 1976). The History of J. Lyons & Co Ltd. unpublished PhD. pp. 162–168.
  3. "J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. Expansion of Business and Catering Division". The Times. 18 June 1962. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  4. "Grace's Guide to British Industrial History". Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  5. "Unilever set to acquire Lyons". The Irish Times. 19 July 1996. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  6. Sheehan, Aideen (21 November 2012). "80pc who buy imported food believe it is made here". Irish Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  7. Oram, Hugh (1986-01-01). The Advertising Book: The History of Advertising in Ireland. MO Books. pp. 245, 599–600. ISBN 9780950918433.
  8. "Legacy: One Family, a Cup of Tea and the Company that Took On the World". Retrieved 17 August 2019.
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