Kusmi Tea is a brand of

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

, headquartered in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Originally founded by Pavel Kousmichoff in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in 1867, the brand moved to Paris, at the onset of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, in 1917. The brand is currently owned by Groupe Orientis.

History

The founder of Kusmi Tea, Pavel Kousmichoff (from whom the brand gains its name) left home at the age of 14 to work for a tea merchant in St. Petersburg, Russia. Kousmichoff worked with the tea merchant until his marriage in 1867, when Kousmichoff was given a small

tea house A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only ser ...

by the tea merchant. Under Kousmichoff, the business prospered and grew in popularity, by 1880 becoming a favourite of the Russian nobility. By 1901, the firm had expanded the business to a chain of about 10 tea houses. In 1907, Kousmichoff's son Vyatcheslav opened a shop at 11 Queen Victoria Street, London. In 1908, on the death of his father, Vyatcheslav took over the reins of the family business. The business continued to prosper under Vyatcheslav, and by 1917, at the onset of the

the business had grown to encompass a chain of 51 tea houses across most major cities in Russia. With the outbreak of the revolution, the Kousmichoff family fled to France, opening an outlet at 75 Avenue Niel, Paris; this location operated as a tea house through the early 21st century, until it was closed to the public and converted to a training studio for company staff and partners. In the move to Paris, the Kousmichoffs re-branded to the shorter "Kusmi Tea." In 2003, the business was bought by Groupe Orientis. The firm currently operates 80 stores, including 60 in France itself, while the tea is distributed in 35 countries.

References

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External links

Official website
1867 establishments in the Russian Empire Tea brands Food and drink companies based in Paris Food and drink companies established in 1867 Tea companies of France