Tea - Our DNA
Tea has been our core business since 1836 and we have constantly enlarged our dynamic team with both young and experienced colleagues. By creating new, innovative varieties, we continuously optimise our range and adapt to the ever-changing international market.

Apart from the 300 standard catalogue teas, we offer rarities, classic teas and over 5,000 tea taster blends that are readily available. The carefully selected raw materials are ennobled with particular ingredients and scents and packed according to the client’s wishes in 1 kg, 5 kg or 25 kg containers. Individual blends can be obtained starting from a minimum order of at least 5 kg.

Our Philosophy
There are very few foods and beverages which have as many facets as tea. It is one of the most important beverages, which manages the balancing act of combining the modern with the traditional. The resulting responsibility dictates the way we handle our teas. For instance, the quality of the tea is only one determining factor for the purchasing decision of our tea tasters. Longstanding relationships with plantation managers, the cultivation standards of the teas as well as the social conditions on the plantations lead to a trustful cooperation with our partners and the product. The consideration and devotion to all of these facets is the guarantor for first class quality teas and the preservation of a continuous and high-performing cultivation of tea.

Our Quality
Our tea tasters only acquire raw materials of highest quality. The teas undergo continuous quality controls to ensure that their freshness and quality are not impaired. Our teas are refined exclusively at our processing facility in Hamburg. There, we can rely on a team of dependable and experienced “tea makers”, who create teas of highest standards thanks to their enthusiasm and longstanding expert knowledge. The combination of quality aspiration, intensive and longstanding business contacts, extensive know-how and the sensitivity with respect to handling the raw materials ensures a continuous and excellent quality of teas. When refining our teas with flavors and other ingredients, we focus not only on the best qualities, but are also certified according to HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), ensuring the respective performance standard and food safety.

Accessories – More than just accessories
The accessories sector is one of our strengths and one of our company’s cornerstones. Over the years, this sector has developed into one of the strongest in the tea world. Due to our immense success, we have the possibility to produce many items using our own designs that always respect the latest trends in design, colours and shapes while ensuring their unique character. These diverse, exclusive products almost automatically lead to our and therefore your commercial success. Our accessories range comprises over 1,500 items, and approximately 500 new articles are presented in the catalogue each year. The exclusive selection is subject to strict quality characteristics. Particularly the long-standing cooperation with small manufactories all over the world guarantees for our high quality. Our accessory logo “Cha Cult®” has become a strong brand of its own.

Our Philosophy
Originally the brand Cha Cult® was supposed to serve as a means to communicate the origin of a product to our customers. As the years went by Cha Cult® developed into a seal for quality and a guarantee of success. We at Dethlefsen & Balk are proud that our brand Cha Cult® has become such a strong name in the market. This has been made possible through our strategic concepts and brand building. Our company policy dictates that only high quality items and excellent designs are allowed to hold our stamp Cha Cult®. Various filters are available in the eye-catching Cha Cult® packaging. You will find our logo as a bottom stamp on exclusive porcelain, hand-painted ceramics as well as on colorful tea tins. As a natural advancement, we have created a decorative element for the brand Cha Cult®. New Cha Cult® designs are now available on some of our items such as mugs, tins and bags, a further measure to strengthen the appreciation of the quality offered by specialty stores. We will continue to further develop the label Cha Cult® to become an even more reliable and successful brand in the future.

Our Quality
Our accessories are mainly presented in specialty stores. We seek to create products for the specialty store customer which cannot be compared to mass-produced items in design or quality. A particular focus is put on handmade wares with designs specifically created for us by our artists. The circulation of these items is controlled so that a depreciation of our products due to an over-saturation of the market is prevented. However, not only the creativity with respect to the decoration is important for us, the functionality of our products also forms an important factor for the selection of our assortment.