Until 1826, only loose leaf teas had been sold, allowing unscrupulous traders to increase profits by adding other items such as hedge clippings or dust.
[2] Horniman revolutionised the tea trade by using mechanical devices to speed the process of filling pre-sealed packages, thereby reducing his cost of production and hence improving the quality for the end customer.
[3] In the 1870s, the business was taken over by his son Frederick John Horniman (1835–1906), who subsequently invested much of his fortune for social purposes.
An avid collector since childhood, he travelled extensively, and founded and built the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, South London, to house his various collections.
Post World War I, in 1918 Frederick's son Emslie Horniman sold the business to J. Lyons & Co., who moved production to their new factory in Greenford, Middlesex, in July 1921.