Our story
Create without denying, share without obliging. More than a century-old brand, Betjeman and Barton is a hallmark of excellence tinged with originality.
THE LEGEND
It all began with a legend. A story that is still told with a smile, cup in hand. Arthur Betjeman, they say, was not born like other children. He literally fell into a teacup. Since that day, the world of tea has run through his veins. Related to the famous British poet Sir Betjeman, Arthur could have pursued literature or Victorian aesthetics, but he chose a more fragrant path.
Arthur Betjeman studied the art of tea at the University of Dublin, a rare, almost confidential program where one learned the secrets of cultivation, the subtleties of processing, and the magic of blending. He completed his training in London, a city of refinement where tea is an art of living. There, he learned the silences of tea as much as its aromas.
It's the very end of the 1910s, and the world, still shaken by the Great War, is rediscovering life. Paris is dancing, Paris is inventing, Paris is laughing again. The Roaring Twenties are upon us, jazz is being played in the cellars of Montmartre, literary salons and art galleries are frequented... It was during a stay in the French capital, accompanied by his wife and their young daughter Alix, that Arthur
Betjeman fell in love with Paris. The understated elegance of the second-hand booksellers, the bustle of the markets, the gourmet window displays of the 8th arrondissement...
He understands that this city, like tea, knows how to combine refinement, surprises, and contrasts. It's decided: it will be here. Paris will become the cradle of his home, and the heart of his adventure.
THE FIRST SHOP
So, in 1919, he opened his first shop on rue de Suresnes in Paris, at the time called The English Tea House , a discreet but already elegant place, where tea was sold but also English groceries... This is how the first tea shop in Paris was born, since in fact, at that time, you could only get it in grocery stores, more or less renowned, and of more or less good quality.
Arthur's ambition soon expanded beyond tea. He dreamed of making his boutique the most London-like in all of Paris, a place that would thrill expats with nostalgia and seduce Parisians in search of refinement. The offerings expanded: Generous zest marmalades, spiced puddings, buttered shortbreads, unparalleled scones, mint sauces, bacon, smoked salmon, and other treasures of British fine foods rounded out the shelves. A small spirits cellar was even installed in the basement, a nod to English traditions, and the wood and glass walls reflected the hushed elegance of salons across the Channel. The House's reputation quickly became well-established. Connoisseurs flock here for the impeccable quality of the products, the discreet welcome, and this unique atmosphere, like a scent of Mayfair in the heart of the 8th arrondissement.
It was in 1927 that Arthur Betjeman had a decisive encounter: Percy Barton, whom he hired as Managing Director and later joined forces to found Betjeman & Barton. Together, they laid the foundations of a unique house: refined, demanding, curious about modernity, and focused on a world in full transformation.
At the time, the customers were travelers, aesthetes, and English personalities passing through Paris, all of whom knew the address at 23 Boulevard Malesherbes, where the boutique moved in 1965. This place, previously occupied by a renowned florist, retains a special aura: a scent of beauty and refinement, like a natural predisposition to welcome the delicate world of tea. The boutique thus became a discreet temple of good British taste, in the heart of the most Haussmannian Paris, where elegance, tradition, and modernity blend together.
THE FAMILY
At the Betjemans, tea is a family passion. Little Alix with
At her mother's side, she had filled many bags by hand, Annie lovingly supervised the stocks while Arthur and Percy traveled to plantations around the world, in search of the best origins.
To offer the best vintages, Arthur Betjeman and Percy Barton crisscross the
world, tireless explorers of taste. Aboard rickety cargo ships, colonial trains, or even patched-up old solex, they travel across India, Ceylon, China, and far beyond. They're not just looking for tea: they're hunting for that rare gem, the ancestral know-how of a master planter that Arthur heard so much about during his studies. Each trip is an adventure, each find, a promise of discoveries. This is how their selection becomes inimitable, composed of teas with character, carrying precious stories and origins. At Betjeman & Barton, tea is not a product, it's a story, an emotion brought back from afar, carefully packaged in ancestral crates...
Following the death of Arthur and Percy, it was Arthur's daughter Alix who, in 1958
takes the reins of the house alongside Annie and Doris. The Betjeman women hold the helm with elegance. In the 1970s,
They decided to gradually withdraw and handed over the management of the House to Didier, a young enthusiast who also came from a tea family. In 1986, Annie, Doris and Alix left the House for good. This departure marked a turning point in the Great History of Betjeman and Barton…
At the dawn of a new chapter, Didier took over as director of Betjeman & Barton. A visionary and passionate man, he brought a breath of modernity to the house while ensuring that its soul never betrayed. By the end of the 1970s, the boutique boasted around thirty teas, a figure that had already doubled since its opening in 1919.
EVOLUTION
Over time, palates evolve, desires change. Tea lovers, long loyal to the great classics, are beginning to express new expectations. For example, the famous Earl Grey, with its delicate bergamot and the nobility of this iconic tea, now dream of bolder, more personal creations, flavored teas that tell a story, evoke a memory, an emotion. At Betjeman & Barton, we listen carefully to this desire for novelty, and we respond with elegance. Tea becomes a refined field of experimentation, an art of blending, where flowers, fruits, and spices subtly invite themselves into the cup. It is this quest for originality and refinement, born at the very heart of customer expectations, that drives the House to develop ever more creative recipes, both respectful of tradition and resolutely turned towards the future.
Didier's goal was simple: to make Betjeman and Barton an undisputed leader in the field of flavored teas. An artist at heart, Didier became an outstanding recipe creator. In the 1980s, he challenged the codes of flavored tea by going far beyond simple single-flavor teas. He created unique, complex, indulgent, generous, and warm blends, with layered notes and poetic, almost dreamlike names. These creations, often avant-garde for the time, created a true olfactory and taste signature for the House. We're going to tell you the story of Eden Rose black tea, perfectly illustrating the spirit in which Didier created.
With tenderness and passion, he imagined a vibrant tribute to his wife, whom he loved to observe every weekend in their light-filled rose garden, busy caring for her precious old roses. At their side, Eden, their faithful dog, became the attentive spectator of these suspended moments. Inspired by these scenes of sweetness and complicity, Didier composed a delicate tea, with subtle notes of bergamot, lavender and rose, like a poem infused with memories and admiration. Eden Rose quickly became a timeless classic, a symbol of sincere love and an art of living where refinement blends with emotion...
THE CREATIONS
A pioneer in the world of scented creations, but also in the uses of tea, Didier did not fail to offer his customers a new product: the arrival of tea bags. A small revolution at the time, but with an absolute requirement: refusing any compromise on quality. Tea bags had to reflect the same excellence as loose teas. This intransigence also explains why some great vintages are still not offered in bags in order to respect the integrity of the leaves and their development in contact with hot water. One customer, and not the least since we are talking about the London institution Harrods, was quickly won over by these innovations. Thus, Betjeman and Barton distributed up to 280,000 boxes of tea per year.
to English people!
Still in the 1980s, the world of Betjeman & Barton was enriched by a figure as charismatic as she was elegant: Katherine. Beautiful, distinguished, with sure and refined taste, she perfectly embodies the French art of living, tinged with Latin charm. Imbued with the soul of the boutique on Boulevard Malesherbes, she became its influencer. Katherine didn't just welcome customers with grace: she transformed the boutique into a theater of sensations, staging each season, each new item with incomparable visual poetry. She traveled the world in search of the most beautiful tableware, carefully selecting English porcelain, Japanese cast iron, rare accessories and unique objects, truly exceptional pieces. Thanks to her artistic eye, the boutique repeatedly won awards for the most beautiful window display in Paris, thus affirming its status as a showcase of excellence. At Betjeman & Barton, thanks to her, tea becomes a ritual, a staging, an experience in its own right that continues until the delivery of a small tea book in each bag and above all, "Take care." Because at Betjeman & Barton, tea is not sold: it is passed on, it is told, it is experienced.
In this dynamic, they gradually revised the offering by limiting the English grocery: fresh products like bacon or caviar disappeared. Spirits, then confectionery, gave way to carefully chosen objects. English tableware, notably the famous eccentric teapots designed by Didier himself, made in Yorkshire, became a specialty. The boutiques also featured accessories brought back from his many travels to India, Japan, and China. Tea became a global, sensory, cultural, almost initiatory experience. With their elegant fantasy, their artist's eyes, and their purist rigor, Didier and Katherine perfectly embody this House which, without ever denying itself, reinvents itself over time.
THE REFERENCE
They elevate Betjeman & Barton to the benchmark for tea in Paris, and soon in France and around the world. Their refined creations, the unique boutique experience, and the aesthetics meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail attract the attention of the greatest: Parisian palaces, exceptional hotel establishments, luxury brands, and prestigious boutiques around the world. Very quickly, requests poured in. Everyone wanted to offer Betjeman & Barton teas, to introduce them, to bring them to life elsewhere, but always with respect for the original spirit of 23 Boulevard Malesherbes. This is how the House began to open up, through a franchise or partnership, with an absolute demand for quality, know-how, and elegance. Each new address is intended to be a faithful reflection of the original spirit, like a living extension of the theater so skillfully orchestrated by Didier and Katherine.
Little by little, Didier will leave the boutique entirely in the hands of Katherine and her teams, focusing on the development of Betjeman and Barton in France and around the world. The first franchise was opened in 1987 in Saint-Germain en Laye in the Yvelines, symbolizing an elegant opening towards new horizons. Despite this expansion, the codes of the House remain unchanged: red still adorns the boxes of flavored teas, green the boxes of classic teas, and black the exceptional collections. Even the transport bags are imbued with these colors, which have become emblematic. Each box continues to tell a story, sometimes becoming collector's items, inspired by the antique Chinese tea boxes that Arthur had already brought back from his travels at the time.
The House then expanded into Switzerland, Holland, and Canada, where it captivated tea lovers with its refined selection and meticulous aesthetic. Meanwhile, in France, Betjeman & Barton opened boutiques in Bordeaux, Nancy, Lille, and Montpellier. Each new location became a haven of tasting and discovery, where customers could explore the House's creations in an elegant and welcoming setting. This international and national expansion reflects Betjeman & Barton's passion for sharing the art of tea with the world, while respecting the House's original spirit.
THE PASSING
Little by little, Didier faded into the background, with the elegance of those who know how to pass on their knowledge. And when he decided to pass the baton, one name stood out to him as obvious: Agnès Defontaine. A loyal customer of Maison Betjeman, she was a boutique manager at the famous Hédiard grocery store on Rue du Bac. A few years later, she left Hédiard to become Director of the Lenôtre Victor Didier boutique. Driven by the desire to continue working together, Didier and Agnès remained in constant contact. Passionate about the world of high-end gastronomy, luxury, and the French art of living, Agnès joined chef Alain Ducasse as a project manager for the launch of Be Boulangerie. As a young woman of taste, finesse, and character, she had the perfect profile to take the helm of Betjeman & Barton.
Didier and Agnès worked together for several years, building a relationship based on mutual respect, shared passion, and a shared vision for the future. Together, they worked to preserve the soul and history of this soon-to-be-century-old House, while ensuring its dynamic
contemporary. Katherine, for her part, continues to illuminate the boutique on Boulevard Malesherbes. Always as inspired, she orchestrates the displays, chooses objects from all over the world, and participates in the creation of new blends, new shapes, new colors. The trio works wonderfully, leaving only a duo of women in the early 2000s. Agnès will never stop saying that Didier is one of her mentors, and not the least.
With Agnès Defontaine, a new era dawns for the House: more feminine, more timeless, but still as refined as ever. She breathes a new visual identity into the brand: the logo is reworked, the red and green give way to a metallic silver gray, resolutely elegant, subtle, and modern. The boxes become rounder, softer. We owe Agnès the famous “dome” shape, which has become iconic, often imitated, never equaled. Under Katherine’s leadership, the “baby bottle box” is also born: colorful, joyful, vibrant, a visual signature in its own right. Silver meets color, chic marries fantasy.
AMBITION
Inspired by the world of perfume and fashion, Agnès set herself an ambitious challenge: to make Betjeman & Barton the haute couture house of tea. And the challenge was brilliantly met. She succeeded in modernizing the image, while preserving its historical foundations, its codes, its heritage. Curious and bold, she incorporated new single-origin teas into the House's menu: classic teas, rare teas, grands crus, from the greatest historical gardens with which Arthur, Percy, Alix and Didier already worked... but also from small, confidential gardens, which she crisscrossed with the same demand for excellence. No limits were imposed on her except that of quality.
Agnès also continues to create ever more original fragrant blends, rich in emotions, stories, and memories. She dares to combine unexpected, subtle, and delicious floral and fruit combinations. Teas that speak as much to the palate as to the imagination. In addition to these combinations, she chooses poetic and evocative names for each of her creations. A visionary, she combines creation and strategy, while also taking on a strong commercial role. She is the one who accelerates the development of Betjeman & Barton in France and internationally: new boutiques are opening: Rouen, Tours, Lyon, but also in Japan and Malaysia... each boutique is designed as an embassy for the House.
In 2012, it marked a new turning point with the opening of the capital's first tea bar, at 24 Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire in the 11th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione. A boutique very different from the one on Boulevard Malesherbes, but which preserves its DNA: elegance, discovery, pleasure. In this tea bar, we sit down to explore new origins, taste great vintages, discover homemade creations, while savoring cakes, jams, biscuits and travel cakes. A contemporary and warm lounge, faithful to the Betjeman & Barton spirit.
With her strong gastronomic roots, Agnès has also brilliantly developed the hotel and restaurant sector, creating menus with great chefs such as Jean-Luc Lefrançois, Éric Fréchon and Frédéric Vardon. She incorporates tea as a culinary ingredient, thus extending the sensory experience well beyond the cup.
THE CONTINUATION
In 2018, the Maison entered a new phase in its history: it was acquired by the Cluizel family, an illustrious name in French chocolate making. A completely logical transfer, rooted in shared values: family, tradition, and the demand for expertise. Agnès Defontaine remains at the helm, continuing the work undertaken for almost 20 years with the same passion, the same elegance, and the same vision of tea as the ultimate art of living.
At the beginning of the 2020s, a page slowly but emotionally turns: Katherine, loyal for more than 30 years, will devote herself to new pursuits... A genius scenographer, tireless aesthete, ambassador of English elegance, she bows out for other horizons. But as is often the case with great stories, nothing is truly erased. Katherine is never far away, maintaining a strong bond with Agnès, built over the years in trust, high standards and friendship. She continues to breathe ideas, to slip inspirations, and to watch over from afar the universe that she has helped to magnify.
Meanwhile, Agnès Defontaine continues her work with the same visionary energy. She develops more than ever the DNA of tailor-made, strengthening Betjeman & Barton's position as a tea maker for major houses, establishments and exceptional tables (4 and 5 stars). Attentive to contemporary trends and issues, she also stands out for her commitment to responsible innovation. Always on the lookout for the latest advances, she notably offers a new generation of corn starch bags: biodegradable, eco-responsible, elegant, they mark a small revolution in the world of bags, in line with the commitments made by Didier in his time to never sacrifice quality.
A woman of character and taste, Agnès is also a woman of heart. True to her human values, she has supported a café like no other from the very beginning: Café Joyeux, born in Rennes, which in just a few years has become a network of more than 30 establishments in France and beyond. A unique place where inclusion, kindness, and community life take on their full meaning, and where Betjeman & Barton tea flows, of course, into the cups.
Even today, Agnès Defontaine continues to make Betjeman & Barton shine with passion, high standards... and a healthy dose of good humor. Surrounded by a close-knit, loyal, and committed team—from headquarters to the stores and the warehouse—each employee embodies the soul of the House in their own way: a blend of elegance, precision, curiosity, and human warmth. Agnès is also a great optimist with contagious energy, who loves to laugh, crack jokes, and never misses an opportunity to lighten the mood. This sunny temperament strengthens the bonds within the House, creating a joyful and caring atmosphere, where excellence is never taken too seriously. We could easily hear her say "I was born in Paris," "Which part?", "All of me!"
Through every project, every shop, every blend, she continues
to build relationships, write stories, honor heritage while looking straight into the future. More than ever, Maison Betjeman & Barton brings its Great History to life, and imposes this strong and unique brand image, nourished by authentic stories. It opens the doors to precious backstage that it intends to reveal and transmit, so that each cup brewed is more than a ritual: an immersion in a universe, a living memory, a shared emotion.
