What Bird & Blend Tea Co. does

Bird & Blend Tea Co. is a Brighton, United Kingdom-based specialist tea blender and retailer founded in 2010 (publicly cited as 2013) by Krisi Smith and Mike Turner, who met while studying Politics at university and began packing tea in their bedroom to sell at local markets. The company sells a curated portfolio of over 100 flavoured loose-leaf teas, tea bags, ceremonial-grade Japanese matcha, flavoured matcha, cold brew teas, tea powders (including caffeine-free options), and tea tools and accessories, marketed across everyday drinking, gifting, wellness, caffeine-free, energy-boosting, and alcohol-alternative use cases. Core technical components revolve around customisable flavour blending, multi-format product delivery (loose-leaf, bagged, powdered, cold-brew bottled), and a Tea Academy content platform that supports product usage and education.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model through an owned international e-commerce store and three UK retail locations in Brighton (North Laine), Exeter, and Cardiff, complemented by a wholesale programme to third-party retailers and an event-driven motion (Tea Blending & Tasting Workshops, Matcha Workshops, Private & Group Events). Revenue is generated from one-off product sales priced between $5.99 and $56.00 USD, Tea and Matcha Subscribe & Save subscriptions at a 10% recurring discount, gift and experience vouchers, and wholesale transactions. The company has accumulated brand equity through multiple Great Taste Awards (2013, 2016, 2020, 2025), B Corp certification achieved in 2018 and re-certified in 2025, and earned media coverage across The Sunday Times, This Morning, GQ, Stylist, The Observer, Ideal Home, and The Huffington Post. The company is privately held and founder-owned, with prior capital raised via Crowdcube in 2017 (approximately $469,341) and 2021 (undisclosed), and previously traded under the Bluebird Tea Co. name.

Name

Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Legal name

Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Website

https://bluebirdteaco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bird & Blend Tea Co. is a Brighton, UK-based specialty tea blender and retailer selling loose-leaf teas, matcha, cold brew, tea powders, and accessories via DTC e-commerce, three UK retail stores, wholesale, subscriptions, and in-person workshops to individual tea enthusiasts and gift buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Tea Retail

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Specialty Tea Shops (Loose-Leaf, Tea Bars) (THAFAKAD)

Keywords

• Specialty tea blending
• Loose leaf tea
• Ceremonial matcha products
• Tea subscription service
• Tea retail accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales (E-commerce & Retail): Bird & Blend sells tea products (loose-leaf, tea bags, matcha, cold brew, tea powders, accessories) directly to consumers through its owned e-commerce website and physical retail stores. Sales are one-time purchases with prices ranging from $5.99 to $56.00 for individual products.
2. Tea & Matcha Subscriptions (Subscribe & Save): Bird & Blend offers subscription plans for tea and matcha with a 10% discount, providing recurring revenue through the Rebel Brew Crew loyalty programme. Customers subscribe to regular deliveries of their favourite products.
3. Gift Vouchers & Experience Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers and tea experience vouchers (workshop gift vouchers, tea tasting gift vouchers) providing one-time revenue at point of purchase with redemption deferred.
4. Wholesale: Bird & Blend sells its products wholesale to third-party retailers, evidenced by a Wholesale page on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bird & Blend Tea Co. blends and retails specialty flavoured loose-leaf teas, ceremonial and flavoured matcha, tea bags, cold brew teas, tea powders, and tea accessories via its own e-commerce store, three UK retail showrooms, and wholesale channels. The company also offers a Subscribe & Save subscription programme (10% recurring discount), curated gift sets and vouchers, and in-person tea blending and matcha workshops.

Product overview

Bird & Blend Tea Co. operates as a multi-channel specialty tea retailer offering a diverse portfolio of tea products and experiences. The core offering consists of loose leaf tea blends (black, green, white, oolong, pu'erh, rooibos, herbal, fruit teas) and matcha tea products, complemented by tea bags, tea powders, syrups, and specialized tea tools/teaware. The company sells curated starter kits and sample packs as entry-point products, while gift sets, boxes, and vouchers serve the gifting market. Subscription services (Tea Subscribe & Save and Matcha Subscribe & Save) provide recurring delivery with discounts. The company also offers experiential products including tea blending workshops and tasting experiences at their retail locations. All products are sold through their e-commerce platform and physical retail stores.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rebel Brew Crew: The company's rewards and loyalty program offering exclusive rewards to members.

Products and services

• Loose Leaf Tea Blends Wide range of loose-leaf tea blends including black, green, white, oolong, pu'erh, rooibos, herbal, fruit, and specialty teas, sold by weight to individual consumers and trade buyers.
• Tea Bags Convenient single-serve tea bag options covering flavoured black teas, fruit teas, and herbal teas, designed for everyday consumer use.
• Matcha Tea & Powder Ceremonial grade Japanese matcha offered as pure powder or flavoured varieties, including starter kits, for at-home traditional matcha preparation.
• Tea Starter Kits & Sample Packs Curated tea sampling sets designed for beginners to explore different tea varieties and find preferred flavours, including build-your-own tea tasting packs from $28.00 and the Magical Matcha Selection Box at $56.00.
• Tea Subscriptions (Subscribe & Save) Recurring delivery service offering 10% discount on tea and matcha products with flexible delivery frequency, providing subscriber customers with convenience and savings.
• Cold Brew Tea Tea varieties optimised for cold brewing, including dedicated cold brew bottles and starter kits, enabling consumers to prepare iced loose-leaf tea at home.
• Chai Tea Collection Range of chai teas including traditional chai, sticky chai, and gingerbread chai varieties, sold as loose-leaf teas, tea bags, and gift collections.
• Tea Tools & Teaware Brewing equipment including tea strainers, infusers, teapots with infusers, mugs, spoons, and tins to support loose-leaf tea preparation at home.
• Matcha Tools & Accessories Specialised tools for traditional matcha preparation including bamboo whisks, spoons, and matcha-specific vessels for ceremonial-grade matcha use.
• Syrups & Tea Accessories Syrups and accessories to enhance tea preparation and the tea drinking experience, including flavoured syrups and supplementary add-ons.
• Gift Sets & Boxes Curated tea gift collections including loose-leaf gift sets, tea bag gift cubes, and matcha gift boxes with tools, designed for gifting occasions across multiple price points.
• Gift Subscriptions & Vouchers Digital gift vouchers and subscription products for tea experiences and subscriptions, suitable for gifting occasions and corporate gifts.
• Tea Blending & Tasting Experiences In-store and workshop experiences where customers blend their own custom teas and learn about tea preparation from Bird & Blend mixologists, including Tea Blending & Tasting Workshops, Matcha Workshops, and Private & Group Events.
• Wholesale Supply to Third-Party Retailers Wholesale programme enabling independent cafes, gift shops, and third-party retailers to purchase and stock Bird & Blend branded tea, matcha, and accessory products for resale.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• T2 Tea: Global specialty tea retailer known for innovative flavoured blends, matcha, and experiential flagship stores. Bird & Blend mirrors its flavoured-blend catalogue, matcha focus, retail-store-plus-D2C model, and gift-led merchandising, making T2 the most analogous large-scale reference point.
• Harney & Sons: US family-owned specialty tea company selling flavoured and single-origin teas, matcha, and iced/cold brew ranges via D2C, wholesale, and tasting rooms. Directly comparable in product breadth (blends, matcha, iced tea), gifting, and founder-led brand storytelling.
• Whittard of Chelsea: Long-established UK specialty tea and teaware retailer with strong gifting, own stores, and e-commerce. Comparable because both target premium-occasional buyers, compete on branded gift sets, and sell loose-leaf teas, matcha, and accessories in similar price tiers.
• DAVIDsTEA: North American specialty tea retailer (now largely D2C after store rationalisation) offering flavoured teas, matcha, and accessories. Direct comparable in flavoured-tea innovation, gifting, and D2C-led go-to-market despite a different retail store footprint trajectory.
• Good & Proper Tea: UK specialty tea brand focused on single-origin and flavoured blends sold via D2C, hospitality, and B2B channels. Directly competes with Bird & Blend for the same UK specialty tea drinker, with overlapping matcha and brewing-format range.
• Teapigs: UK-founded premium loose-leaf tea brand selling directly through its own D2C site, wholesale, and cafés. Closest direct competitor to Bird & Blend because it shares the same UK specialty-tea positioning, flavoured and core blend range, gifting, and subscription mechanics.
• Mariage Frères: French heritage premium tea house blending and retailing flavoured and rare teas through owned boutiques and global wholesale. Comparable on premium positioning, flavoured blending expertise, experiential tea salons, and gift-first merchandising.
• Kusmi Tea: Premium flavoured and wellness tea brand with owned boutiques across Europe and North America plus a global D2C site. Overlaps with Bird & Blend on flavoured black/herbal blends, matcha-based wellness positioning, premium pricing, and gift-set revenue mix.

Broad incumbents

• Twinings: Global mass-market tea giant with broad flavoured and wellness ranges across grocery and out-of-home channels. Provides the broader competitive context for the UK tea category; not a direct D2C competitor but shapes pricing and discovery on supermarket shelves.
• Clipper Tea: UK mainstream tea brand (now owned by Aimia/Mondelez-adjacent owners) with broad grocery distribution and a Fairtrade-led range. Relevant incumbent benchmark for UK tea retail, but broader, lower-priced, and less D2C-led than Bird & Blend.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bluebirdteaco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/BluebirdTeaCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/birdandblendtea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birdandblendtea
• Instagraminstagram.com/birdandblendtea
• Pinterestpinterest.co.uk/birdandblendteaco
• TikToktiktok.com/@birdandblendteaco

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bird & Blend Tea Co.