The most famous British tea exporter is Thomas Lipton. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1848 and began his career in the tea trade at a young age. In 1880, he founded his own tea company, Lipton's, and quickly became one of the largest tea exporters in the world. Lipton's tea was known for its high quality and affordable price, and it was soon sold in countries all over the world. Lipton also opened a chain of tea shops, called Lipton's Tea Rooms, which were popular meeting places for people of all walks of life. Thomas Lipton was a successful businessman and philanthropist, and he died in 1931 at the age of 83.