English Tea Shop Organic: Competitive Advantage through Sustainable Solutions

The English Tea Shop Organic (ETS) brand has created a sustainable ecosystem that supports suppliers’ livelihoods as well as its competitiveness in the market. In 2021, it embarked on a second 10-year plan, aiming to become a sustainable, employee-owned business with a purpose-driven brand, and by 2022 30% of the company was employee owned. The case describes the challenges ETS faced building a brand that appealed to ethically minded consumers, while helping farmers grow organic tea and make a sustainable living. It explores various avenues through which it could achieve scale: geographic expansion, developing its successful gift range, focusing on regular in-home consumption, entering adjacent categories, and exploring B2B options, possibly in the HoReCa segment. However, in seeking to make the brand purpose-driven, it discovered that ‘doing good’ was not enough to get customers to pay premium prices. Could its newly developed blockchain system not only help to connect with customers but be harnessed to drive growth?

The case focuses on how to grow a purpose-led brand and how blockchain technology can be used to create engagement with consumers while creating wins for farmers and the planet. It can be used in courses on branding, marketing strategy and/or sustainability – all three dimensions are covered in an interconnected way. It works well with degree participants (MBA or EMBA) and could be used for undergraduate programmes. It could also fit in-to a half-day session