Finlays buys Casa Fuentes to secure ‘highly sought’ tea extract supplies

Casa Fuentes has an annual production capacity of 27m kg of black teas per annum in the province of Misiones, and is a long-time supplier of black teas to the North American market.

It operates 2,000 hectares of plantations and runs five factories equipped with tea processing, grading, blending, packaging, storage and export shipping facilities – with 90% of tea exported to North America.

Finlay’s MD Ron Mathison said assurance of supply of sustainably produced pesticide-free tea was a strategic imperative for Finlays – all Casa Fuentes tea (which is also Rainforest Alliance certified) meets this standard.

“The acquisition will not only provide assurance of supply of suitable raw material, it will provide Finlays with a platform for R&D, NPD and innovation in delivering custom-specific tea blends,”​ he said.

UK-based Finlays owns and operates tea plantations and has expertise in leaf procurement, product development and innovation, and is the largest Fairtrade tea trader in the world