Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Success Story 16 June 2016

Region/Nation South East
Sector Hospitality, Accommodation and Food Service Activities
Programme Start Up Loans

Mike Turner and his partner Krisi started their Brighton-based tea mixology company, Bird & Blend Tea Co., with the help of a Start Up Loan.

Bird & Blend Tea Co. is the UK’s first tea company specialising in tea mixology. They create exciting flavours of loose leaf tea, with their latest flavours including a Candy Floss blend and a seasonal Hot Cross Bun blend.

Mike and Krisi sell their tea blends online and in their two stores, the flagship based in Brighton and the newest in Tunbridge Wells. The first store quickly became a ‘go to’ for locals in Brighton and the duo were keen to expand and gain another premises. After trialling a popup shop in Tunbridge Wells they decided it was the perfect area to share their unique teas with and so set up a permanent store.

Since launching Bird & Blend Tea Co., Mike and Krisi have opened up a further 2 permanent locations, employ 30 staff and have achieved an annual turnover of over £1 million. In May 2017, they raised £365,000 in just 24 hours through crowdfunding to open up three new stores in the following months.

As well as creating four new teas blends every quarter, taking in seasonal flavours, Bird & Blend also run many in store events. These include mixology classes where customers can create their own blends and sample the whole Bird & Blend tea range. They even run the Bird & Blend UniversiTEA, teaching all about ;varieties of tea and how to make the perfect cuppa, tea leaves from around the world and the wonders of iced teas.

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