Dragons' Den-backed vitamin tea entrepreneurs brewing up overseas investment

A Harrogate manufacturer of vitamin-infused teas is aiming to triple its revenue to £700k this year following overseas expansion.

TEA+ recently made a successful appearance on BBC’s Dragons’ Den in 2018, securing investment from Dragon Tej Lalvani. The company is run by husband and wife duo James and Jade Dawson.

Having launched three years ago, TEA+ has since secured deals with retailers across Mexico, New Zealand, the US and the UAE. It is currently said to be in talks Australian, Canadian and Dutch buyers.

TEA+ has been supported in its expansion into international markets by International Trade Advisers (ITAs), working as part of the Food is GREAT campaign.

Food is GREAT is the cross-departmental campaign between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for International Trade (DIT) to support UK food and drink producers to export.

James said: “Our vitamin-infused teas are unique in the global marketplace, making us a hit with retailers and consumers.

“With tea being the second most consumed drink in the world, the potential for us is enormous. Finding trusted overseas buyers, learning what we can and can’t put on our packaging in each market, and conducting credit checks on customers are just some of the hurdles we’ve been able to overcome on our export journey with support from DIT.

“Our local ITAs at DIT have helped us in each of these areas, which has made the process of exporting much smoother and more straightforward.

“For any businesses new to exporting, getting yourself to trade shows is a great place to start. If we can make a success of exporting, so can you.”

The brand is stocked in retailers such as Holland and Barrett, to Boots and Superdrug.