Meet the team

Based 30 miles north of London in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, we’re a small team of like-minded individuals with a passion for food, drink and innovation. Our chief ‘tea boy’ and former chef Matt was already working in product development for soft drinks when he started experimenting with ‘cold’ tea. Fascinated by the varieties available he roped in marketer Ruth to do some research.

The pair soon discovered that after water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. In the UK we drink over 1,500 cups a second but only half of us have even tried chilled tea. However, in other parts of the world, iced or chilled tea is hugely popular. Learning also that there was an increasing interest in functional beverages and with backgrounds in food, the pair set about experimenting with tea varieties, vitamins and unconventional flavourings.

At this point Ruth roped in creative director and non-tea drinker, Nick to ‘help lend a hand’ with brand creation. Finding himself actually enjoying tea for the first time in his life Nick threw caution to the wind and signed up to join the pair on a mission to convince Brits that cold tea is great! 87 recipes in, the trio finally signed off on awaken – the first tcha blend.