Brooke Bond Tea Cards

nd marketing ingenuity. Here's an overview of their evolution:

Origins (19th Century):

  • Brooke Bond & Company was founded by Arthur Brooke in 1869 in England.
  • Initially, the company focused on tea blending and retailing, quickly becoming popular due to the quality of its tea blends.

Introduction of Tea Cards (20th Century):

  • In 1933, Brooke Bond introduced the concept of tea cards as a marketing strategy.
  • Tea cards were small, illustrated cards featuring a wide range of subjects, including nature, history, famous people, and various themes.
  • These cards were included inside packets of Brooke Bond tea, providing an incentive for customers to purchase their products.

Popularity and Expansion (Mid-20th Century):

  • Tea cards gained immense popularity among consumers, especially children, who collected and traded them avidly.
  • Brooke Bond capitalized on this trend by regularly releasing new series of cards, often tied to specific themes or educational topics.
  • The cards served as both a marketing tool for Brooke Bond and an educational resource for consumers, offering information and images on diverse subjects.

Golden Age (1950s-1970s):

  • The 1950s to the 1970s marked the golden age of tea card collecting, with Brooke Bond releasing numerous iconic series during this period.
  • Some of the most beloved series included "Birds of the British Isles," "British Wild Flowers," "Transport Through the Ages," and "History of the Motor Car."