The Story of Bettys Tea Rooms | How a Swiss Orphan Built a Yorkshire Icon

More than a century after Frederick Belmont opened his first café, Bettys remains an independent family business. Members of the third, fourth and fifth generations continue to work together, protecting the principles on which the company was founded. The business proudly celebrates its Yorkshire roots while continuing to draw inspiration from Frederick’s continental Swiss heritage. This combination can still be seen throughout Bettys—from its Swiss-influenced dishes and fine confectionery to its emphasis on craftsmanship, quality and close attention to detail. That commitment extends beyond the Café Tea Rooms and into the relationships Bettys has built with its suppliers. Many are family-run Yorkshire businesses with which Bettys has developed long-term partnerships. Welfare, sustainability and traceability are placed at the heart of these relationships, alongside shared values of craft, heritage and a commitment to producing delicious food. One of the most important is Taylors of Harrogate, Bettys’ sister company. Founded in 1886, Taylors’ expert buyers travel around the world in search of high-quality teas and coffees while developing lasting and sustainable relationships with growers and suppliers. Meat is sourced through Sykes House Farm, a third-generation family business based near Wetherby. The company specialises in quality cuts of meat, including outdoor-reared pork and higher-welfare chicken, which can be traced back to Yorkshire farmers personally known to the business. Bettys’ strawberry preserve is produced using fruit grown seasonally at Annabel Makin-Jones’ Yorkshire farm. The farm uses solar energy and harvested rainwater and is home to beehives whose bees help pollinate the strawberry flowers. Bettys also maintains a connection to Frederick Belmont’s Swiss origins through Bonvin, a family wine estate established in 1858 in the Valais region of Switzerland. Its wines combine generations of knowledge with modern production methods, bringing another element of Swiss heritage to the Bettys menu. These partnerships help explain why Bettys has maintained its reputation. Its quality is not created only inside the tearoom or bakery; it begins with the farms, growers and producers supplying its ingredients. In a market increasingly dominated by large chains and convenience, Bettys has followed a different path. Tea is still properly served in a pot, food is carefully presented, and the surroundings are considered part of the experience. The company has adapted its menus to modern tastes, but it has not abandoned the qualities on which Frederick Belmont built the business: skilled craftsmanship, responsible sourcing, warm hospitality and attention to the smallest detail. Perhaps that is why customers continue to queue outside its doors. They are not visiting simply for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea. They are buying into an experience—and a family tradition that has been carefully protected for more than one hundred years.

A family business built on shared values