Our story began in 1888 with tea merchant Henry Miles, but it was his grandson Derek Miles, along with his business partner Norman Halls, who developed the products we all enjoy today.

Derek moved to Porlock in 1962 and, from his living room, blended our famous loose tea. Norman joined the business in 1972, bringing his engineering skills in order to supply the more popular teabag to our growing consumer base. They introduced coffee in 1986, with hot chocolate coming along in 1994.

Although Derek and Norman have both passed away, the company is in safe hands with Norman’s son John Halls continuing to run the business, keeping their philosophies at heart. John joined Miles in 1982 learning the art of tea tasting and buying from Derek and continues to oversee these two vital elements today. He is currently passing these skills on to junior tea taster Nathaniel, who joined us as a school leaver in 2025.

Miles’ teas and coffees are sourced from all over the world with quality and sustainability being at the forefront of our choices. We pride ourselves on our buying and will not compromise on our principles, especially as Miles was one of the founding members of the Ethical Tea Partnership.

Today Miles is still that small, friendly, family-run business with a team of 25. Our tea is blended, packed and dispatched from Minehead, but our shop, and heart, remain in Porlock, where we continue to roast our coffee daily in small batches.

Thank you to all our loyal tea, coffee and hot chocolate drinkers. We wouldn’t be here all these years without you.