The man behind the blend of Yorkshire Tea, Warren Ford, has died aged 90.
Born in Lewisham, South London, on May 16, 1933, Warren went to school in London before leaving aged 16.
He worked at Tetley’s tea as a senior buyer, before being sought at by Victor Wild, who built up Betty’s tea room in Harrogate, in the 1970s.
By 1976 Warren had been appointed as a director of Taylors and the following year, along with Victor, Jonathan Wild and Eddie Hardie, was one of the original ‘gang of four’ responsible for the creation, launch and early success of Yorkshire Tea.
Warren became fundamental in establishing the foundations for the future growth of Yorkshire Tea. He even suggested the colour orange for the packaging, recognising that it was the most unused colour on the tea shelf.
Jonathan Wild remembers that Warren’s ability gave him confidence in the product.
He said:
“Yorkshire Tea took over our lives and compelled us to stretch ourselves beyond the limits of our experience – and inexperience.
“What gave me confidence was belief in ‘The Tea’ and in Warren’s ability. We rode our luck well and tempered our ambition with stealthy patience, but I’m not sure that at any other moment in time – before or since – we could have created something so unique and ultimately so successful as Yorkshire Tea.”
The brand, Taylors Yorkshire Tea, was launched in 1977 and became popular. It received royal warrant in 2009.
Reflecting on the gang of four and the creation of the brand, Warren recalled:
“it was a team effort from the start: Victor’s creativity and prudent financial control, Eddie Hardy’s relationship with supermarkets and determination that we invest in packaging technology, Jonathan’s youthful energy and ambition, and, of course, all the advantages that I brought: an experienced, integrated approach to buying and blending in which we competed to our advantage by selecting rather than collecting our teas.
“It required all these elements to create success.”
Warren Ford died on June 21, 2023.
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