For many years the Queen’s Awards have been acknowledged as the country’s most prestigious business awards – and we’re thrilled that our family business just been honoured with a 2017 Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development, recognising our work to build a resilient and sustainable supply chain.

Our family business has long been committed to trading responsibly, but over the last few years we’ve transformed the way we work with our supplier and growers, helping them become more sustainable in the face of ever-increasing challenges such as climate change and rural poverty.

That means collaborating with our key suppliers to identify and address sustainability challenges; establishing long-term contracts that provide suppliers with security; and working together on quality and continuous improvement.

At the same time, we’ve been influential at an industry leadership level. Through active participation in the Ethical Tea Partnership, Rainforest Alliance and other industry bodies, we’ve been able to bring insight, knowledge and funding to our suppliers – often leading collaborative projects that address our supply chain’s sustainability needs.

While there will always be more to do, the award recognises the progress we’ve made over the last five years and the positive impact we’ve had on people and communities around the world.

More information on our sourcing approach, the places we buy from, the partners we work with, and the places and people we’re supporting can be found by exploring this website.