Brewing up a Business Tina Chen's journey from farmers' markets to scaling a social enterprise focused on wellness and sustainability

By Entrepreneur UK Staff

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HumaniTea
Tina Chen, founder, HumaniTea

Tina Chen, founder of HumaniTea, a London-based brand specializing in plant-based, chilled vegan tea lattes, blends Taiwanese bubble tea with British tea culture to address health and mental wellness challenges. With a focus on sustainability, community impact, and mindful growth, she has built a business rooted in passion and perseverance.

What inspired you to start your business?
As a Taiwanese American living in London, I was inspired by Taiwanese bubble tea and British tea drinking culture to develop our HumaniTea Cold Brew Matcha Lattes and Earl Grey Milk Teas. I wanted to tackle two major problems in the UK. The first major problem is that one of the main causes of obesity is due to sugary soft drinks. The second major problem is that 1 in 6 people in the UK suffer from mental health issues due to stress from work. Brewing innovation from my daily cuppa could solve these problems.

Introducing HumaniTea, the UK's 1st ready-to-drink Oat Milk Tea Lattes brewed with tea leaves, oat milk and ethically sourced, quality ingredients. Our Matcha Lattes and Earl Grey Milk Teas contain low sugar and low calories, exclude artificial flavours and emulsifiers, and provide a boost of natural energy without the crash of coffee caffeine. As a proud social enterprise, we support wellbeing and sustainability initiatives.

What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
When I first started selling my oat milk teas in farmers' markets throughout London back in March 2019, I faced several obstacles, including a trade mark dispute, a lost pallet of tea, and late nights. I registered my trade mark early on and received a trademark opposition before I even had a product developed. The original name I had trade marked was MyTea. The lawyers from a large beverage conglomerate sent me cease and desist letters. After two years of writing back and forth with the conglomerate with the help of kind pro bono lawyers, I was able to sign a coexistence agreement and changed the brand name to HumaniTea. Another issue we faced was that prior to our first production run, the pallet distribution company lost our whole pallet of tea. Luckily, I had my business mentor Sam, and we discussed what was the best plan forward. I decided to order another pallet of tea so as to not delay production. The third major challenge during the early days was the late nights. I was renting a commercial kitchen from midnight to 6AM in order to save money as it was half price during those hours. Then I would head to the farmers' markets to trade from 8AM to 5PM. Eventually, I burned out, literally. I accidentally spilled boiled water on myself while trying to bottle my oat milk teas. Turns out I had a 2nd degree burn. That was the wake up call that I needed to focus on my physical and mental health. After all, without my health, I cannot run the business.

How did you secure your initial funding?
I am still bootstrapping. I secured initial funding which I used for our first production run of 10,000 cans back in 2020. We raised over £13,000 from over 120 supporters. It was part of the NatWest Back Her Business programme where they offered match funding to the initial amount raised. Besides crowdfunding, I also received some grant funding and competition prize monies along the way. I haven't tried equity crowdfunding or secured angel investment yet, but I am considering these options for the future. For now, I am reinvesting turnover back into the business and bootstrapping.

How do you handle failure or setbacks?
Running a business has its ups and downs. Although emotions can often get in the way during stressful situations, I try to stay calm and think of a solution to the problem. It is important to learn from mistakes and not to make them again. For example, when the pallet of tea was lost right before production, I had to make the decision whether to order another batch of tea or not as the logistics company didn't want to compensate for the lost pallet. After speaking with my mentor, we thought outside the box and decided to contact the owner of the pallet company directly after many failed attempts to get an update from the employees at the warehouses. In the end, I ordered a new pallet of tea in order to not delay the production by too long, and the pallet distribution company provided some compensation.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
You need to be passionate about your business. If making money is the sole reason for starting the business, then I would recommend sticking to a stable corporate job that will likely pay more especially in the early days. It's easy to burnout and quit if you're not super passionate about your business. It's also important to focus on your physical and mental health and wellbeing. If your body and mind is telling you that you need to rest, then take a break and recharge. You'll feel more energised and work more efficiently. Another aspect to consider is financing the business. Do you have enough savings to start the business? Or will you crowdfund or seek investment from angels? Looking at ways that work for you financially to fund your business is key.

How do you stay motivated during tough times?
My business mentor Sam, who I met through The British Library Mentoring Programme, and community of fellow founders from startup communities, like Virgin StartUp, Small Business Britain, Buy Women Built, Asian Women of Achievement, and Imperial College London, keep me motivated. Especially as a solo founder, I find having business mentors and community groups very useful to help me stay aligned with my business goals. Also, when I have industry specific questions, I find it helpful to ask my network of fellow founders in the food and drink industry. The moral support from founders in a similar business stage gives me a good motivational boost! I definitely recommend finding a business advisor and having a support network.

Share your tips for achieving success…
For me, success is continuing to grow my business and distribution points, increasing brand loyalty and receiving positive feedback from customers. Whenever we receive positive reviews on Ocado, Amazon, and our Google Page, I feel happy to know that my bubble tea inspired Oat Milk Tea Latte drinks are positively impacting people's lives. Success can mean many things for different people. For some, success could be financially driven, while for others it could be more about getting brand recognition. Setting goals and accomplishing tasks to hit your milestones is key to achieving success.. Mistakes will happen but its important to learn from them. Understanding your business vision and goals for success will guide you in taking the necessary actions to achieve them.

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