Our History
Tea is originally from China, and there has been drinking tea for thousands of years. The tradition slowly spread to Japan, India and Indonesia. Via sea tea came to Europe in the mid-1500s. Imports of tea to Sweden took off with the Swedish East India Company in the 1700s - but most of the tea auctioned off already in Gothenburg harbor to the Dutch and the British.
It took until 1809 before Martin Samuel Kobb in Gothenburg founded what would become the largest teahouse. In a few decades, he took over the East India Company's operations and made tea drinking a more general and mundane.
Sons, Pontus and August Kobb, joined his father's firm and his many shopping trips inspired August including the parks in London and wanted to create a greener Gothenburg. He sat on the city council and took the initiative to Castle Forest, Vasa Park, King's Park and Brunnsparken. August's Memory bust is carved into the rock just below the seal dams in Slottskogen.
Tea drinking changed when an American importer started selling solved in small silk bags that contained the perfect amount per cup. Customers misunderstood instructions, dipped the whole bag - and the tea bag was born. The English companies Lipton, Tetley and Twinings made their debut in Sweden in the 1950s and the aggressive marketing of the modern tea bag out of the classic Swedish tea companies that Lundgren and Tham - and Kobbs market share dropped to only four per cent.
Something must be done. And the answer was the same location as the threat came from: England. Kobbs gave more than 600 000 English teapots a few years away when buying a can of tea. With pitchers Followed a strainer and an instruction how to brew the perfect pot of tea. This caused quite a stir in the UK where the Financial Times reported on "Those crazy Swedes" who bought up the country teapots to teach English people how to drink tea.
The campaign was a success and tea bags market share shrank from 65 to 35 percent. In the 1960s, tea drinking in Sweden tripled when a whole generation of young people were inspired by the Beatles and Carnaby Street - and for doing the opposite of their parents, coffee drinkers.
Today, tea is a natural part of our everyday lives. To bridge Kobbs solved takes some time and we think that's good - because you get: a chance to disconnect both physically but also psychologically. In times of constant connectivity it is more important than ever to take a well-deserved break sometimes. Therefore, we are writing right now a new chapter in our history. "Disconnect with Kobbs" is a series of challenges that has to leave the Internet for a while and hang out IRL (In Real Life) - why not pitch a Kober? It has, after all, worked for over 200 years.
It took until 1809 before Martin Samuel Kobb in Gothenburg founded what would become the largest teahouse. In a few decades, he took over the East India Company's operations and made tea drinking a more general and mundane.
Sons, Pontus and August Kobb, joined his father's firm and his many shopping trips inspired August including the parks in London and wanted to create a greener Gothenburg. He sat on the city council and took the initiative to Castle Forest, Vasa Park, King's Park and Brunnsparken. August's Memory bust is carved into the rock just below the seal dams in Slottskogen.
Tea drinking changed when an American importer started selling solved in small silk bags that contained the perfect amount per cup. Customers misunderstood instructions, dipped the whole bag - and the tea bag was born. The English companies Lipton, Tetley and Twinings made their debut in Sweden in the 1950s and the aggressive marketing of the modern tea bag out of the classic Swedish tea companies that Lundgren and Tham - and Kobbs market share dropped to only four per cent.
Something must be done. And the answer was the same location as the threat came from: England. Kobbs gave more than 600 000 English teapots a few years away when buying a can of tea. With pitchers Followed a strainer and an instruction how to brew the perfect pot of tea. This caused quite a stir in the UK where the Financial Times reported on "Those crazy Swedes" who bought up the country teapots to teach English people how to drink tea.
The campaign was a success and tea bags market share shrank from 65 to 35 percent. In the 1960s, tea drinking in Sweden tripled when a whole generation of young people were inspired by the Beatles and Carnaby Street - and for doing the opposite of their parents, coffee drinkers.
Today, tea is a natural part of our everyday lives. To bridge Kobbs solved takes some time and we think that's good - because you get: a chance to disconnect both physically but also psychologically. In times of constant connectivity it is more important than ever to take a well-deserved break sometimes. Therefore, we are writing right now a new chapter in our history. "Disconnect with Kobbs" is a series of challenges that has to leave the Internet for a while and hang out IRL (In Real Life) - why not pitch a Kober? It has, after all, worked for over 200 years.