TWG - honest or deceptive?

I place an absolute ban on the purchase of TWG products for my family because I believe they are dishonest in giving themselves a fake origin. Then what am I doing with TWG tea this afternoon?

I am now quite unwell and I felt I needed a hot drink. But because I have taken Klacid, milk is contra-indicated. Without milk, there is nothing I can drink that is hot. But someone gave me a tin of TWG Christmas tea which is drunk without milk and I might as well drink it, seeing that I can't drink any other hot drink.

TWG is a big name. It's one of the most successful tea companies in the world. They have outlets in every major city all over the world and in reputable shopping centres. There's TWG in Harrods too.

But TWG is a Singapore company called The Wellness Group which dealt in spas and other health-related products before they started a tea business under the name TWG in 2008. But the TWG logo always has the year 1837 emblazoned on it.

The TWG has been sued in various parts of the world and the argument they give why they have 1837 written on their logo is that the founders love and respect the Singapore Chamber of Commerce which was established in 1837. But there is nothing in the packaging that will even remotely disclose to the purchaser that TWG is a Singapore company.

Look at the next TWG label:

Does this not look like something lifted from an illustrations in one of Charles Dickens' books? Do you think they are deceptive or is all this just coincidence and any potential customer can tell quite easily that TWG is a Singapore company that started life in 2008?

If I were a businessman and I started a tea company, I would print 1564 on the label and if I were questioned, I would simply say I loved Shakespeare and it was he who inspired me to start a tea company.

For further reading:

South China Morning Post
Straits Times