Kusmi Tea Celebrates 150th
Original Kousmichoff boutique
FRANCE
To mark its 150th anniversary, Kusmi Tea has launched a new tea called Karavane No. 50 packaged in a 500g gold lacquered box. It is a blend of Asian black teas and carries some of the company’s history with it as it was already on the menu at Kusmi founder Pavel Kousmichoff’s tea boutique 150 years ago when the company was established in St Petersburg in 1867.
His tea blends were so unusual and daring that Kousmichoff even managed to win over Tsar Alexander III, but during the upheaval of the Russian Revolution, Pavel’s son moved the business to Paris and gained new customers across Europe. After a quiet period during the 20th century, it was relaunched in 2003 and captured a special sector of the market with award-winning advertisements celebrating ‘the beauty of the blends’. There is now a palette of 90 original blends, some of which still have a very Russian character with their richly scented, spiced and citrus flavors.
Since 2003, new stores have opened and the brand now has 85 shops in 35 countries and the company is focusing on Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium and will enter the Japanese market this year. To mark the passing of 150 years, Kusmi Tea is focusing on time and its importance as an ingredient in the ritual of tea drinking. “Tea is a historic drink that brings yesterday and today together for enjoyment of the present moment,” according to the company.