Ringtons: the Newcastle family tea firm still knocking on doors after a century

In 1907, Samuel Smith, who had moved to Tyneside from Leeds, began selling tea from a horse and cart on the streets of Newcastle upon Tyne. He started with a £250 investment from William Titterington, and the business grew so quickly that within a year he needed two horses and four assistants. That was the beginning of Ringtons, one of the North East's best-loved family firms.

More than a century later, Ringtons is still owned by the Smith family, now in its fifth generation, and its doorstep rounds remain at the heart of the business. Today its salespeople deliver door to door to more than 220,000 customers across the UK from 25 locations, still braving all weathers to make sure their regulars get their tea.

The family's history mirrors that of the region. During the First World War twelve Ringtons employees went to fight and all came home in 1918. In the 1920s the company bought its first motor vehicles and opened a head office on Algernon Road in Byker, and its Chintz and Willow patterned ceramics became much loved. The Second World War saw more than 400 employees called up, including Samuel's four grandsons, who returned to the business afterwards.

Each generation has brought something new, from the first tea bag machine installed at Algernon Road in the early 1960s to vacuum-packing and a custom-built factory in North Tyneside, and later online sales and coffee. But the Ringtons round works much as it always has: the same salesperson visits on the same day every fortnight or month, with a basket of tea, coffee, biscuits and seasonal treats. There are no fees, no contracts and no obligation to buy.

The company has also made a habit of giving back. Ringtons has supported the Community Foundation since 1996, and over thirty years it has given £908,009.45 to 251 organisations across the North East. Its support focuses on women, families, older people, children, disability and disadvantage, and the firm says it will now support charities across the UK too.

As Ringtons puts it, if it is not worth drinking, dunking or devouring, it is not in their baskets. To find out whether there is a round near you, or to order online, visit the Ringtons website.