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| Region/Nation | London |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Dot Dot Tea |
| Owner | Yandis Ying |
| Partner | Business Enterprise Fund |
| Social Media |
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| Website | dotdottea.com |
Dot Dot Tea was founded in 2023 by Yandis and a friend, who sought to bring a low-sugar, ready-to-drink beverage from South Asia to the UK market.
Dot Dot Tea is the first UK-made bubble tea in a bottle - a blend of authentic botanical teas with real fruit purée and popping juice bubbles, brewed on-site at Dot Dot Tea’s bubble brewery in Walthamstow.
The business’ first loan was for £25,000 in 2023 via Business Enterprise Fund. Yandis used her initial loan to develop her product including the design of Dot Dot Tea’s labelling, and to purchase stock to get the business off the ground, including glass bottles and cans, and large volumes of authentic ingredients to make the bubble tea drink.
Since receiving her first loan and selling products to local shops and cafés across London, the Dot Dot Tea brand grew exponentially and has caught attention of major VC and Angel investors. In just two years, Dot Dot Tea is now sold in London’s most popular department stores, including Harvey Nichols, and is available to purchase nationwide at supermarkets and local stores including Ocado and Harvest, and across independent venues and cinemas in the UK.
Impact of the Start Up Loan
£25,000
loan to develop her product including the design of Dot Dot Tea’s labelling, and to purchase stock to get the business off the ground, including glass bottles and cans
Business Enterprise Fund
supports businesses in their stepping stones to success and work closely with the Start Up Loans programme as they are integral to helping businesses start and grow.
Dot Dot Tea is an ode to our native Hong Kong, brewed locally with natural, premium ingredients at our bubble tea brewery in North London. Once we launched Dot Dot Tea, many buyers told us that they were looking for a premium, healthier ready-to-drink bubble tea for some time, and this shows that we successfully captured a gap in the market.
The Start Up Loan with support from the Business Enterprise Fund was fundamental to Dot Dot Tea’s success. There is often a lot of ‘red tape’ for business founders when setting up their business, but this wasn’t the case with Start Up Loans. Alongside the loan, I was able to access valuable start-up support, such as training workshops on how to create a future-proof business strategy, design branding, marketing from scratch and understanding financial processes.
In just eight weeks, I was equipped to approach some of the UK’s biggest retailers, who are now stocking Dot Dot Bubble Tea. Today, I am receiving mentorship from the co-founder of Little Moons, financial backing from one of the UK’s leading FMCG investors, and support from a group of industry experts who have joined as angel investors.
- Yandis Ying Founder of Dot Dot Tea
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