Our company was founded in 1901 by James J. Barry, grandfather of our Chairman, Peter Barry. From the beginning, quality was at the heart of our business. In fact in 1934, Anthony Barry was awarded the Empire Cup for tea blending. Our quality philosophy endures to this very day. It’s something we will never ever compromise on.
The other thing that’s close to our heart is where we come from. We’ve always believed in maintaining strong links with our community, and every year we support many cultural, educational and community projects.
Until the 1960s, our teas were sourced mostly from India and Sri Lanka and were sold mainly from our Cork City shop in Prince’s Street. But when our blends kept growing in popularity, we decided to widen the wholesaling and distribution of the brand. So we began selling our tea to other shops in Cork City Centre, expanding into the suburbs, then out to the rest of the country.
At the same time, Barry’s Tea tasters began to sample exciting new teas coming from East Africa. There was an incredible reaction to these new blends, and they became something of a Barry’s signature. It became apparent that the qualities of freshness, flavour and that distinctive golden colour were very much unique to Barry’s Tea.
Simply by word of mouth, the reputation of Barry’s Tea continued to grow and by the mid-1980s it had become a much loved national brand, a fact which makes us incredibly proud.
At Barry’s Tea, we’ve always listened to the needs of our tea drinkers. So as health became more of a priority for you we introduced a new range of Herbal and Green Teas. This range has evolved over time to include a full herbal, fruit and green tea collection, called Barry’s Speciality Teas. They’re infused with all things healthy and nice, and we hope you love them as much as we do.