TEA giant Typhoo welcomed some sporting heroes to their Wirral factory this week as part of their continued partnership with St Helens RFC.

Saints stars Jon Wilkin, Tommy Makinson and Adam Swift were given a tour of the Moreton factory on Wednesday, where they posed for photographs with staff alongside the Super League Trophy and League Leader’s Shield.

Chief executive Keith Packer said despite being based in Merseyside, Typhoo – who have sponsored St Helens since 2012 - is better known in the Midlands and in the south of England.

And after winning Business of the Year at the recent Wirral Business Awards, Typhoo bosses are keen to promote their brand further, as well as helping Saints become the rugby league team for Merseyside.

Employing 270 staff and boasting 11 different brands – including the recently launched Typhoo Gold and Typhoo Extra Strong – the company plays a massive part in Wirral’s economy.

Paula Basnett, chief executive of Wirral Chamber of Commerce, said: “Having Typhoo here is fantastic and we want to support them with their growth. They do a lot for the community and we just want to build on that relationship and help them as much as we can.”

The partnership between Typhoo and St Helens RFC continues to develop as they shape their plans for the coming years.

Saints winning the Super League Grand Final this year was an amazing thing to witness and a great boost for Typhoo, whose partnership coincided with Saints’ move to its new ground at Langtree Park in 2012.

The Typhoo logo will continue to feature across the front of all St Helens shirts until 2016.

Dave Hutchinson, head of sales and marketing at the club, said: “St Helens RFC and Typhoo’s relationship is going from strength to strength during 2014, and the launch earlier this year of Typhoo Gold was definitely a lucky omen.

Wirral Globe:
Tommy Makinson, Adam Swift and Jon Wilkin are given a tour of Typhoo's factory by worker Denise Millington. 

“Having Typhoo as our main club sponsors means a lot, having shown their loyalty and commitment by renewing their partnership for a further three years, this keeps one of the leading hot beverage producers in the UK in the spotlight through all the exposure that the most successful team in the modern era of Super League brings.

“We are both household names, local to the north west, innovative and leading the way in our own market places, and the club are very grateful of Typhoo’s continued support.”

Wirral Globe:
Adam Swift, Tommy Makinson and Jon Wilkin at the Typhoo factory in Moreton.

Hot on the heels of the launch of Typhoo Gold, the tea giants are delighted to reveal the introduction of the newest addition to the Typhoo family - Typhoo Extra Strong – which has been developed to capture the trend towards more premium teas.

Typhoo Extra Strong is described as an expertly blended, robust, full bodied tea from the finest tea estates in India and Africa which delivers quality and refreshment in every cup.

Typhoo are strongly committed to putting the excitement back into mainstream black tea – 8 out of 10 cups drunk in the UK are still black tea.

Keith Packer, chief executive at Typhoo, said: "The growth in the Premium sector of the tea market is predominately driven by consumers’ out-of-home experiences and people looking for a stronger tasting tea. 

"Strong teas are most often consumed at breakfast time and we have seen a +10% year on year growth* in Breakfast teas.  Typhoo Extra strong offers customers a great introduction into Premium teas at great value, from a brand they can trust.”