Punjana

In the late 19th century, Robert S. Thompson trained in the art of tea tasting. Soon after joining the tea industry in 1887, he was made a partner at McArthur and Willis in 1896. Thompson subsequently led the company for 51 years, and the association of the company with the Thompson family was only strengthened when, in the post-war years, James and Tony Thompson also became partners.

It was the introduction of the second generation of the Thompson family to the tea industry that brought with it the birth of the Punjana brand in the early 1950s. The name Punjana, was dreamed up by second generation James Thompson and his wife, Lillias, the inspiration coming from an inscription of the word "Punjab" etched on the famous Gillespie statue in Comber.^[1]

• In 2007, 59,500 cups of Punjana tea were consumed every hour of the day, 365 days a year.^[2]