Member Article

Prolific restaurateur backs Brixton ‘pub for tea’ business

High profile restaurateur, Giuseppe Mascoli is supporting Brew, a new pub concept in Brixton offering loose leaf tea in place of pints.

Brew has launched a campaign on Crowdcube in search of investors for its mission to restore prestige to the national drink by converting people to loose-leaf tea.

Mascoli, who is the founder and president of pizzeria chain Franco Manca, has backed the concept that will look like a pub, but instead of selling pints of beer, will provide pots of loose leaf tea.

After a successful pop-up in Brixton in December Brew is looking for £180k on Crowdcube, to help open its first site in Balham, South London, but there are plans for many more.

The pub for tea will go from day to night, and also serve alcoholic tea cocktails such as the Earl Grey and Tonic and the Green Tea Martini.

Giuseppe Mascoli, the pioneer behind Franco Manca pizzeria has already redefined perceptions of a British food favourite.

He is now backing the Founder of Brew, Alex Holland to do the same for tea. Mascoli said “I know Alex, he knows tea, and we both hate teabags.”

The British drink twice as much tea as coffee but, according to Holland, “it’s a struggle to get a good brew outside the home.”

Leading loose-leaf suppliers have seen a 600% growth year-on-year and hotel tea rooms are posting record takings, but Holland believes that currently there isn’t an accessible option on the market for people to get a good cup of tea and that Brew, a pub for tea, will change that.

Holland said: “Lots of British tea experiences have become a bit of a joke, more about the doilies than delivering on taste. At Brew we will treat tea like a serious drink.”

Holland was mentored by Iqbal Wahhab founder of lauded London restaurants The Cinnamon Club and Roast. Wahhab, who is also on the board of Brew said, “With the combination of tea and tea cocktails Brew has the potential to grow across the whole of the UK and beyond.”

Find out more about the crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube: https://www.crowdcube.com/investment/brew-a-pub-for-tea-18869

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .