…and make sure to keep following us on social – we’ll be quizzing you on this in the coming weeks 😉
1: There isn’t a ‘Mr Rington’
Sam Smith founded Ringtons with an initial investment from his business partner William Titterington. The name Ringtons was actually formed from the last half of Willliam’s surname and the ’S’ from Smith. Many believe because Titterington & Smith was too large to fit on the cart.
2: Ay up – we’ve roots in Yorkshire
Sam hailed from Leeds! He moved to the Newcastle upon Tyne in 1907 and began selling tea from his horse and cart. Interestingly, in the 1930s Sam went back to Leeds and built a brand new Ringtons factory on the site of his former home. The building still stands today as a Sikh temple!
3: It’s all about the horse power
The last horse in the Ringtons fleet, Monty, retired in 1962… the only reason Monty kept going was because the van lad didn’t want to drive a motorised vehicle – we think the customers might have preferred it too!
4: We like a challenge
In 1961 we aired our first TV advert! It showed salesperson Cliff Taylor roll up his trousers and wade across to St Mary’s lighthouse in Whitley Bay, Northumberland to make a doorstep delivery. Now that’s dedication!
5: We got the Freedom
In 2007 we celebrated our 100th birthday and received a very special gift. We were awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City of Newcastle, something we hold very dear. Newcastle upon Tyne is our home and our main office and tasting department is right next to the original building!
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