Speciality tea manufacturer, HotTea Mama, is the latest business to benefit from funding delivered by SWBC members, SWIG Finance.
Based in Long Hanborough on the edge of the Cotswolds, HotTea Mama has received a £40,000 cash injection backed by British Business Bank’s Recovery Loan Scheme to help them scale up ahead of launching new retail channels with one of the UK’s largest retailers.
With speciality teas combatting symptoms ranging from PMS and pregnancy all the way through to post-menopause, HotTea Mama has a tea for all of the ‘joys’ of womanhood.
The business was founded by Kate Achilles and Bethan Thomas in 2017, after both women had experienced the ups and downs of pregnancy and motherhood.
Bethan and Kate were introduced to SWIG Finance via commercial broker Jerry Riches of ACF Direct.
The business currently employs 5 staff members with 4 employed in the UK, and co-founder Kate is based in Australia. As the business expands they will be looking to recruit for 2 more positions.
Business owner Bethan Thomas said “HotTea Mama has gone through a period of big growth over the last few years. So that we can continue to focus our efforts on retail and wholesale channels, we knew that we would need to increase our stock holding to keep up with demand. This would not have been possible for us to do without external funding”.
SWIG’s Nicola Mapp commented “Bethan and Kate are experts in their field and have already achieved so much with their business. The proof is in the sales – they are already a top seller in various outlets, including Amazon Prime. We were pleased to be able to support their journey and ensure that they can continue to promote health and wellbeing for women across the globe”.
