Ahmad Tea

Ahmad Tea was founded in 1986 by Rahim Afshar and his brothers, who named it after their father and began as importers above the family's tea shop in Southampton, England. Still family-run, it works with long-term partner tea gardens and a dedicated tasting team, and its teas now reach more than 80 countries. It received the King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in 2024 and has won many Great Taste Awards.

Rahim Afshar, chairman of Ahmad Tea
Rahim Afshar, chairman of Ahmad Tea

Meet the maker

The story behind Ahmad Tea

Ahmad Tea grew out of a family tea business in Southampton, England. Rahim Afshar entered the tea trade in 1979, drawing on his family's long experience in blending and packing tea. In 1986 he and his brothers founded the company and named it after their father. The first office sat above the family's Kabir Tea Shop on London Road, and in 1989 the business moved to larger premises in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire.

  • Est. 1986
  • Hampshire, England
  • Family-run
  • Each blend tasted seven times
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The first loose tea blend arrived in 1987, created for the luxury gift market. The company is still family-run today, with Rahim as Chairman and his brothers Karim and Ebraham in its leadership. Teas come from selected gardens around the world, and the growers are treated as part of the extended family. Ahmad's Tea Masters taste every blend seven times on its way from harvest to cup, and nothing leaves the tasting room until it meets the house standard.

“Nothing leaves our tasting room until we are sure it is an extraordinary cup of tea.”

Ahmad Tea

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