The tea industry is built on relationships. The strongest of those relationships are built over generations.
That was my biggest takeaway from a memorable evening in Nairobi on 20 July 2026, where selected tea suppliers from across Kenya came together for a dinner hosted by the family owners of the Bettys & Taylors Group.
It was also a chance to reconnect with Jonathan Wild and Chloe Benest, whom I first met in Rwanda in 2024 during a similar gathering. Seeing them again reinforced something that has become increasingly clear throughout my career: while tea may be traded globally, its success is rooted in relationships built on trust, consistency and a shared commitment over many years.
The story of the Bettys & Taylors Group itself reflects those values.
In 1907, a young Swiss baker and confectioner, Fritz Bützer, left his native Alps for England with little more than a dream of building a new life. Twelve years later, having adopted the name Frederick Belmont, he opened the first Bettys Café in the Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate. More than a century later, the business remains family-owned, having successfully navigated changing markets, world events and evolving consumer tastes while staying true to its founding values. Today, the Bettys & Taylors Group encompasses Bettys, Taylors of Harrogate tea and coffee, and the Yorkshire Tea brand. Taylors of Harrogate has also been a member of ETP since its inception, reflecting a long-standing commitment to collaborative efforts that advance sustainability across the tea sector.
One of the most memorable moments of the evening was seeing three generations of the family together. Jonathan was joined by his daughter, Chloe, and her two sons – a powerful reminder that stewardship is about passing on values as much as passing on a business.
In her remarks, Chloe thanked guests for the partnerships that have supported the business over many decades and acknowledged the important contribution that Kenyan tea continues to make to blends enjoyed by consumers around the world. Responding on behalf of Kenyan producers, Enos Njeru, Chairman of KTDA Holdings, thanked the Wild family for their longstanding relationship with Kenya’s tea industry, recognising the mutual trust between the business and Kenyan tea producers over many years.
As someone working for ETP, I found that message particularly meaningful. ETP is a membership organisation that brings together companies from across the tea supply chain to tackle challenges that no single organisation can solve alone – from improving farmer livelihoods and advancing equal opportunities to strengthening climate resilience and building more resilient supply chains. While our members compete in the marketplace, they collaborate where it matters most: working to improve the lives of tea growing communities globally.
The evening concluded with a thoughtful gift: a book, From the Alps to the Dales: 100 Years of Bettys by Annie Gray. More than the history of a family business, it is a story of resilience, entrepreneurship and the enduring value of stewardship across generations.
As I reflected on the evening, I was reminded that lasting success in the tea sector is built on far more than commercial transactions. It is built on relationships that endure, partnerships that evolve, and a shared commitment to the people and communities behind every cup of tea.
My sincere thanks to Jonathan Wild, Chloe Benest and the Bettys & Taylors Group family for their warm hospitality, and to Keith Writer and Tony Barkataki for extending the invitation and bringing together suppliers from across Kenya for such a meaningful evening.
Here’s to partnerships that continue to strengthen the tea sector – for this generation and the next.
Liberal Seburikoko, Deputy CEO
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