What we do..

 

Unlike many other tea producers we believe in ensuring quality all the way through the process and that means delivering the tea direct to your door. You won't find our teas in the supermarket. The only way you can enjoy a great Ringtons cuppa is by getting a fortnightly delivery from one of our friendly sales people or by visiting our online store. Over 100 years ago our founder Samuel Smith saw the potential of delivering good quality tea and other products direct to customers doors and although we now use a Connect van rather than a Horse and Carriage to do our rounds we still believe in delivering our goods personally.

 

At the Sales Office

 

From humble beginnings in Newcastle upon Tyne, we now have 26 offices across the country stretching from Edinburgh in the North to East Anglia in the South and as far West as Lancashire.

 

It ís an early start each morning, loading the vans and setting off with the day's journey details on the handheld computer. Our sales people battle through all weathers to make sure that our customers get their regular delivery. Many of our customers have been drinking Ringtons tea all their lives.

With a wide range of products to choose from, our salespeople carry the well-known Ringtons basket to each customer's door. A delicious range of biscuits and other seasonal products is available all year round.

"You're never far from a Ringtons van" says Tony at Newton Aycliffe Office. "We deliver to most areas on a regular basis and we'll always go out of our way to make sure we deliver what you want."

"We receive deliveries once a week which ensures that we can deliver the freshest products to our customers." adds Kevin at Sunderland. "Our customers appreciate the quality and freshness of our products. Have a Ringtons Ginger Snap with your next Ringtons cuppa and you'll see what I mean"

Outstanding Customer Service

 

At Ringtons we believe that the customer is at the heart of our business. Our sales team prides itself on a first class service and will always try to help beyond the usual delivery where possible. One example of this is in our Harrogate office, where Helen, one of our salespeople, has brought customers together in a Jigsaw Club.

 

We also have a special group of people based at our head office in Newcastle upon Tyne, who form our Customer Care team. Although we appreciate the importance of personal contact with our customers through our salespeople sometimes this is not possible, so we operate a telephone support line so customers can keep in touch with us.

Determination

Whether it's fording a river in India, or battling through snowdrifts on the moors Ringtons' staff show determination to make sure that each customer gets their favorite tea.

In 1953, the Annfield Plain office in County Durham, saw snow drifts up to the roof level. The sales team dug trenches and deliveries were made by sledge instead. Even today the weather can throw up some challenges.

In 2002, an unexploded bomb in the streets of Hendon, Sunderland threatened to prevent our usual delivery. Our salesperson Paul Wright, advised by the local Police, entered the area at his own risk to ensure that his customers didn't miss out on their Ringtons delivery.

Loyalty and Service

Ringtons is a family owned and run business, and there are a number of families who work within it. David Fisher, sales office manager at our Thornaby Office is now ably assisted by his sons and the Jollands twins, Ian and Paul, based at South Yorkshire, have been with us since leaving school.

Starting as a van boy, Paul Hodgson, Catering Department Manager, has developed his career with Ringtons since leaving school and his length of service, at over 25 years, is quite common within the company.

Employee Loyalty and Service awards are made each year but special presentations were made in 1983, as we saw 11 staff retire with over 500 years service between them. TV news cameras came out to capture this historic moment.