It was the finest quality tea that first brought J. Lyons and Co. to public notice in the early 1900s. The tea offered by Lyons enjoyed such a great success that the company decided to blend and pack tea from a department in Cadby Hall. The earliest records of tea packing can be traced back to 1895, when the first teashops were introduced, providing a ready outlet for the company's own brand. Comprising initially some a half dozen staff, the Tea Department has gradually become one of the largest departments of Lyons. Over the years the blending operations has grown significantly, so that a new factory was required by 1920 to satisfy growing demand.

To get better control of their raw materials, Lyons purchased tea plantations in Malawi, yet most leaf tea was supplied from plantations in
Ceylon and India, as well as other parts of the world. A number of tea blends were introduced and named after colors, including Lyons Yellow Label, Lyons White Label, Lyons Red Label and Lyons Green Label tea in addition to such prestigious labels as Maison Lyons, Lyons tea from Ireland available exclusively in food halls of Corner Houses. In order to increase market share in north of England, the company purchased Horniman & Sons and Black & Green of Manchester, which had considerable export businesses.

It was during its first contract at the 1887 Newcastle Exhibition that J. Lyons and Co. first established itself as a supplier of quality tea.
However, it wasn't until 1903 that the first production records started. The same year witnessed the company selling packaged ground coffee, though it was far less popular than tea that experienced significant growth. By 1923 a wide variety of tea blends were sold, the most successful of these being Lyons Green Label tea, followed by such blends as Red Label, Blue Label and White Label.

Later they were supplemented with Buff Label, Mauve Label and Stripped Green Label teas. Lyons Green Label Tea is a blend of Ceylon, Assam and Kenyan teas complemented by the finest quality Java tea and characterized by a distinctive flowery bouquet. It is quite suitable for both everyday consumption and special occasions. Lyons Green Label Tea is available in 80 tea bags at a price of $7.95.

In the early 1930s the company acquired Diffusion Europeenne des Products Alimentaries Selectionnes through its French holding company Lyons SA that sold Lyons teas to retail sectors in France. By the late 1970s, Lyons was a food broker with administrative backing and warehouses centered in Pierrelaye. It was responsible for selling Lyons teas packed in Jersey by Overseas Trading Corporation, Lyons chocolate drink and Lyons herb teabags.

Special teas were also blended for Corner Houses, and the company had its own distinctive blend for supply to these teashops. Lyons has always kept this blend in secret and never sold it to the public, in spite of a continuous demand for it. In 1967 instant tea was introduced, yet it wasn't a success. The introduction of coffee extract was successful, contributing to the growing popularity of Lyons' Bev brand.