James Finlay International Inc. bought Autocrat LLC, Lincoln, R.I., in April. The terms were not revealed. James Finlay International is a wholly owned subsidiary of James Finlay Ltd., London. Finlays operates in all parts of the tea supply chain and describes itself as bringing “‘bush- to- cup’ tea knowledge in leaf tea procurement, product development and innovation.” It says it is the leading private label packer of roast and ground coffee in the UK.

Autocrat supplies coffee extracts and offers customer-focused market solutions using the natural ingredients. It is a supplier of coffee extracts used to flavor dairy foods and beverages as well as nondairy beverages.

“This acquisition demonstrates our willingness to invest in businesses that can help fuel profitable growth and broaden our existing tea extracts business in North America,” said Ron Mathison, Finlays Group managing director. “The U.S. market is an exciting area for Finlays and we are looking forward to putting more emphasis on our operations here.”

He added that the acquisition will double the size of its business in the United States, and give the company greater scale and access to new channels.

“Entering the coffee extracts market is a natural extension for our own tea extracts business providing excellent opportunities for growth,” he said.