About us
This is not the story of a business. It’s not even the story of a family-owned business. This, the Tea Time story, is a story of family and business; of what is possible when confectionery is crafted, lessons are learned, and milestones are achieved over four generations.
Helmed by brothers Theo and Milton Cambanis, Tea Time allows families nationwide to enjoy reasonably priced, consistently delicious, and exciting cakes in their homes
The iconic bundt cake
Accompanying their father, legendary confectioner Mathew Cambanis, to big meetings from age 17, Theo and Milton were exposed to the business end of cakes: production, supply chain, maintenance, marketing, books – and the drive to meet extremely high standards.
As a result, when establishing Tea Time, they knew what would work and what would not. “We knew cakes inside out,” says Theo, “so we decided to make an ambient cake, in a reusable and environmentally friendly container; one that didn’t need refrigeration.”
Enter Tea Time’s iconic bundt cake, with its distinctive doughnut shape and fine crafting. A favourite sweet centerpiece for special occasions and for ordinary days, Tea Time’s bundt cakes and mini bundt cakes are part of customers’ daily lives.
Youth, legacy, family
You might think that four generations in confectionery yields unremitting adherence to the old ways. Or perhaps a fear of change. Think again. Tea Time is characterised by a sense of youthfulness and a willingness to challenge the market. It is marked by the need to innovate and to create entirely new solutions. And it is unusual because of its long history of, and respect for, cohesion, credibility, trustworthiness and determination.
The brothers have almost palpable energy and vision, as well as a deeply held need to improve. There is an obsession with quality and with finding and perfecting the next amazing thing. Theo and Milton have also woven a strong sense of family through their company, such that staff members who are non relatives are entirely wrapped up in it.
What makes Tea Time unique? “We aim to please a customer’s palate and table and pocket,” say Theo and Milton. It is a privilege, they say, to be nationally sought-after and to be relevant in so many households countrywide and across Sub-Saharan Africa.
What’s next?
Tea Time is greatly inspired by its mission to give the region’s supermarkets access to innovative and consistent confectionery, notable for its top quality and competitive pricing. But the team is equally driven by an internal passion for fresh marketing and exciting product development; for continuing to offer the market something completely different.
By leveraging its energy, ambition, scope, size, systems, and a solid infrastructure developed over four generations, Tea Time intends to be the best confectionery and bakery supplier in the market. To challenge its competitors and delight its customers. And, en route, to create completely new things – whether products, recipes, packaging, concepts, or campaigns – that have never been seen before.
