Case Study
Yandis Ying, founder of Dot Dot Tea, launched the UK’s first ever ready-to-drink bubble tea in glass bottles and cans
| Region/Nation | London |
|---|---|
| Sector | Hospitality, Accommodation and Food Service Activities |
| Programme | Start Up Loans |
| Partner |
Yandis Ying, founder of Dot Dot Tea, a company selling ready-to-drink bubble tea sold in luxury department stores such as Selfridges, and premium venues including Kew Gardens and Nobu Hotels, is among 14 business owners announced today as a Start Up Loans 2025 Ambassador.
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.
Yandis’ Start Up Loans total £25,000, which she got with support from Business Enterprise Fund, one of the Start Up Loans programme’s Business Support Partners. Yandis used her initial finance 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 in 2024 and selling products to local shops and cafés across London, the Dot Dot Tea brand has grown exponentially and has caught the attention of venture capital 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.
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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