During the 19th century, a businessman named Thomas Lipton created the business to make tea accessible to the masses. At the time, it was an expensive drink, exclusive to the upper-class and members of the nobility. Lipton wanted to change that so everyone could enjoy tea and all its benefits. Not only that, Lipton wanted to make the tea-drinking experience even better, so he constantly sought ways to improve everything, from the quality of the tea leaves to processing.

His travels brought him to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), where he bought tea estates and was able to bring Ceylon tea to Europe. Soon his name was associated with quality tea and innovation. He utilized cable cars to transport tea leaves from mountainside gardens to factories so production would be more efficient. While other tea merchants were weighing their tea out for consumers, Lipton was selling them in individual packets. With the help of Lipton, tea from England replaced China tea as the drink of choice in the West. In the next century, Lipton Tea would continue to grow rapidly, dominating markets all over the world.

Today, it is renowned as the "World Expert in Teas" for its innovations in the field of tea-growing, with a specialized process developed specifically to produce only leaves of the best quality, resistant to pests and pollution. Lipton's range of teas is made from a blend of leaves that come from all over the world like South Africa and Japan.

Continuing the work of Sir Thomas, Lipton is dedicated to being a good global citizen, providing housing, schools, and health care to workers in its tea estates such as Kenya and India. It is also a firm believer in sustainable agriculture and is taking steps to commit itself to that end.

Lipton Ice Tea was launched in the Philippines in 2005. Since then, its intriguing blend of international flavors has captivated consumers, continuing it's legacy of being the world's leading tea brand.