The Joekels Story

Great tea at the right price

We are the tea masters. Here at Joekels, we pack, blend and distribute some of South Africa's most popular household tea brands. It all began in 1994, when Joe Swart and Jonathan Kelsey joined forces and names (Joe Swart + Jonathan Kelsey) to create Joekels Tea Packers. They left their jobs and pooled their resources, putting everything they had behind their dream of making tea their business. And so the Phendula Tips brand was born, in a small operation running from Joe's garage.

Joe and Jonathan initially blended tea from a cement mixer that they purchased from a friend, teaching themselves the basics of blending, packing and sales. They say all good things are worth waiting for, and the Joekels story is no exception. Success did not come overnight. It took a lot of hard work and strain to build the business into the success story that it is today. 

Today, we're considered the tea experts

In fact, we're the third largest tea manufacturer in South Africa. We also pack about 95% of all private label tea products in South Africa.

In 2003, we purchased the Laager brand from Unilever. Three years later, Tetley (a division of the Tata Consumer Products and one of the world's largest tea companies), joined forces with Joekels, later purchasing a majority share in the Joekels business.

In 2007, we added the Teeco and Southall's brands to the Joekels Family. Then, in 2015 we insured Jonathan's tongue and taste buds for R5 million - to ensure the condition of our trademark quality and consistency for years to come. And as a testament to the quality, we're still selling our very first product, Phendula Tips: a favourite in KZN homes.

We continue to embody the entrepreneurial culture that has been a trademark of Joekels business since day one, with a strong focus on driving product innovation based on consumer and market insights. In 2017, we launched into Green tea with Tetly brand, becoming the #1 Green tea is South Africa within 6 months and helping to grow the Green tea market. And at the end of 2019 we launched into the coffee segment with a range of cappuccinos under the Society Coffee brand, made from 100% Arabica coffee beans.