Essential Aus Competitors

Since its foundation in Piccadilly in 1707, Fortnum & Mason has been at the heart of London life, supplying the very finest goods and services. From the Food Halls to the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon it is filled with unique and exceptional food and gifts. For over 300 years at Fortnum & Mason, our purpose has come from giving our customers 'a sense of pleasure'. This single founding principle informs and guides everything we do and starts by working with the best people. The legendary Fortnum’s experience does not happen by accident; it takes individual talent, expert knowledge, attention to detail, unstoppable energy and most importantly – real team work. And we bring it life across our retail stores, hospitality locations, and head office teams every day.

Dilmah is unique; a brand that is founded on a passionate commitment to quality and authenticity in tea, it is also a part of a philosophy that goes beyond commerce in seeing business as a matter of human service. Launched in 1988 by Merrill J. Fernando Dilmah pioneered important initiatives which have become the hallmarks of the company. These are important because traditional tea, made in the ‘orthodox’ style – a production process that starts with handpicking the leaves and continues through withering, rolling, oxidation and firing – follows a technique perfected over centuries. It produces tea that are varied and sophisticated. The alternative is CTC, a relatively recent method of production designed to offer a quick ‘cuppa’ and in the process sacrifices all that is special in tea. Merrill describes CTC as ‘tea without a soul.’ Today Dilmah is the only vertically integrated tea company with its own tea gardens – some of Ceylon’s best estates – and state of the art printing & packaging facilities, tea packing and investments in every segment of the industry. Dilmah concentrates on offering tea aficionados around the world a truly different experience in tea, presenting an unmatched collection of teas, each tasted and selected with the benefit of decades of experience in tea, and most importantly marked by genuine innovation and a passion for quality. Dilmah restates its commitment to the values on which it is founded along with Merrill’s sons Dilhan & Malik. Dilmah is an Ethical Tea, in that all packaging profits are retained in Sri Lanka and fund the MJF Charitable Foundation and Dilmah Conservation. We believe that Business is a Matter of Human Service.

30 years ago in Salisbury, Connecticut, proprietor of the historic White Hart Inn, John Harney, developed a passion for fine teas. John was introduced to the world of tea by Stanley Mason, who turned to creating his own craft tea blends after years in the corporate world of tea. Over time, Mason taught John both the art and business of the craft. Starting production out of his basement in 1983, John began his own journey in mastering the craft of tea blending. Serving his distinctive blends with inn guests, he soon found they were coming back for more. Never did John Harney imagine that his small home-run business in Salisbury, Connecticut would turn into a global operation, now headquartered in Millerton, New York filling 90,000 square feet of warehouse space, and employing over 155 people, making it one of the largest employers in the Hudson Valley. The company, which sources, blends, and packages their own product from start to finish, has grown from their original six teas, to more than three hundred. Their story truly captures the essence of American Business Ingenuity. Harney & Sons was founded on a commitment to deliver customers the finest quality tea possible. This promise, made 30 years ago, serves as the company's guiding principle. Today, Harney & Sons Tea remains family owned and managed, with three generations of Harney's preserving John's tradition of fine tea and traveling the world in search of the finest ingredients.