OUR TRADITION
Our family has been involved in the tea and coffee business since the 19th century. My grandfather came from Nefyn on the Llyn peninsula, in North Wales.
Like many Welsh, he moved to Liverpool to work, and into the tea trade, which was dominated by the Welsh. Liverpool was at the peak of its prosperity and tea was a major import through the port. He started his own business – Wilson Roberts & Co. in 1891. Initially the company was solely a tea merchant, with coffee not added until the 1930s.
Sales were largely back to the North Wales area. The Welsh were famously big tea drinkers. The port of Liverpool constituted the other main area of business. Shipping lines such as Cunard, Blue Star Line, Elder Dempster and others were customers. We also supplied the Navy with tea and coffee. Other sales were to the numerous Ship Stores and Chandlers – who have now almost completely disappeared.
That was the pattern of trade until the late 1950s – 1960s when the decline of the port and the development of supermarkets meant that new markets had to be found. The catering trade became the biggest element of sales.
We moved into speciality tea and coffee shops in the 1980s. We opened shops in Wigan , Chester , Manchester , Southport , London and at Cedar Farm in Mawdesley.
Now we concentrate on Cedar Farm. We roast there and sell direct, by mail order / internet and wholesale, but we never forget our tradition and commitment to quality.