John Sumner founded his tea merchants in 1856 in Birmingham but it was his son, John, who expanded the business. He sold the first packaged tea and called it Ty-Phoo Tipps. Ty-Phoo is Chinese for doctor, Tipps was supposed to be 'Tips' but the printing error was thought unique so retained.

Ty-Phoo tea produced cards for many years. Smaller cards were given away in boxes of tea but they also produced large colour cards that could be ordered by sending in vouchers cut from the packets. Both the vouchers and cards are popular with collectors and the challenge is to find cards without drawing-pin holes in the top or corners!

In 1968 Ty-Phoo merged with the Schwepps drinks commpany and then with Cadbury in 1969. In 1986 a management buy-out created a new company called Premier Brands, which expanded by buying other tea companies until it was itself bought by Apeejay Surrendra Group in 2005.