Ben Newbury - Taylors of Harrogate

Taylors of Harrogate, the family-owned company behind the UK’s number one tea brand, Yorkshire Tea, sells tea and coffee in 50 countries worldwide. Over the last 15 years, Yorkshire Tea has risen from fourth to first place in the UK black tea market in both value and volume market share. This achievement reflects not only the consistent quality of the product but also the brand’s bold and memorable marketing, most notably the award-winning “Where Everything’s Done Proper” campaign.

In this interview, we speak to Ben Newbury, Head of Brand Marketing, about why innovation is now just as vital to the brand’s future as its heritage.

Innovation as a Business Mindset

As market changes and consumer tastes evolve, Yorkshire Tea is placing increased emphasis on innovation as a driver for future success. Ben, who works closely with the company’s innovation team to explore new opportunities, shares how the brand’s journey into new product categories, such as premium iced tea, has been shaped by a careful blend of strategic thinking, willingness to learn, and an openness to the possibility of failure.

For Yorkshire Tea, innovation isn’t confined to the innovation team. It’s a company-wide commitment rooted in the recognition that the black tea category is in long-term decline as consumer habits and the range of alternatives evolve. The challenge for Yorkshire Tea is to explore new ways to serve consumers while staying true to the brand’s values. That long-term perspective means decisions are not driven purely by immediate sales growth but by the question: What will make the brand sustainable in the future? As Ben puts it, “We’re not just looking for the next big launch, we’re looking at how we can make the brand more resilient for the future.”

This philosophy is evident in the considered rollout of the iced tea range; the team chose to start in cafés and independent outlets - places where the product’s premium quality could shine and its reputation could build organically. Ben explains the rationale behind this being to learn and create long-term desire; “Innovation is one of the strategic imperatives for the whole business. It’s about long-term sustainability, not just immediate sales.”

“Innovation is one of the strategic imperatives for the whole business. It’s about long-term sustainability, not just immediate sales.”

Balancing Thoroughness and Getting On with Learning

One of the biggest shifts in Yorkshire Tea’s approach to innovation has been finding the balance between thorough research and simply getting a product into consumers’ hands to see what happens.

In practice, this means running structured processes, such as concept development, consumer testing, and semiotic analysis, alongside smaller, agile initiatives; “It’s an ambidextrous approach,” says Ben, including “small-scale productions that let us learn quickly, even if the outcome isn’t perfect.”

These small tests are designed to gather insights fast, without the pressure of a full-scale launch. Ben mentions Yorkshire Tea’s early prototype of iced tea. Consumer research had suggested a “tea-forward” drink, but the market response was clear: the flavour profile wasn’t what people actually wanted.

“It turned out consumers didn’t want a pure tea iced tea; they wanted something mostly flavour with just a hint of tea. We only found that out by putting it in their hands,” Ben explains. “That test taught us a lot — supply chains, indicative costing, what it takes to make iced tea, and what consumers do/don’t want.”

“It’s an ambidextrous approach; small-scale productions that let us learn quickly, even if the outcome isn’t perfect.”

Not Being Afraid to Fail

A defining feature of Yorkshire Tea’s approach to innovation is a willingness to accept that everything might not be perfect the first time, but with the right culture in place, there is always an opportunity to learn.

Ben is clear that this is a journey the business is on, but one that is supported by a leadership mindset and innovation team that encourages bravery and experimentation without fear of repercussions. “The leadership team is reassuring and supports a view that sometimes it is better to learn by action,” says Ben, who identifies the Head of Brand Innovation, Ben Mortimer, as a champion of this approach across the business.

This attitude allows the business to explore ideas that might not have immediate commercial proof but could spark valuable insights, future opportunities, or strengthen the brand image. For example, making limited runs of kombucha and selling via Amazon is driven not by guaranteed sales, but by the desire to learn by doing. “The key that our innovation team stresses is that failure is never an endpoint; it is a source of learning that feeds back into the innovation pipeline,” says Ben.

Yorkshire Tea’s story shows that innovation is not just about product launches, but about mindset. By balancing strategic thoroughness with agile learning, embedding innovation as a shared business priority, and embracing the lessons learnt, the company is setting itself up to thrive in a changing marketplace.

Ben is quick to emphasise that this is a collective, company-wide effort: “It’s never just one person’s work. The successes and the learnings come from the team and the wider business. It’s about all of us asking what’s possible — and then getting on and finding out.”

“The key that our innovation team stresses is that failure is never an endpoint; it is a source of learning that feeds back into the innovation pipeline.”