A new city tea shop that will also stage mixology classes opens its doors today.
Bird & Blend Tea Co arrives in the Scottish capital with the 15th retail store in its portfolio.
The Edinburgh store is the first of three retail outlets opening before the end of the year, following its launch on the high street 10 years ago.
The store will create at least six new jobs “that will be an integral part of the imaginative and magical customer journey offered in store”.
Bird & Blend Tea Co said it aims to create a “fun, interactive in-store experience", mixing award-winning tea-based drinks including flavours like Birthday Cake and Blue Raspberry to Chocolate Digestives, Builders Breakfast Brew, and Earl Grey Crème.
The new store manager and trainee manager head up the team, supported by four tea mixologist roles.
The firm said retail stores are “the heart of Bird & Blend Tea Co” alongside its successful ecommerce business.
In addition to mixing tea, the Edinburgh team will also host live free Matcha tea demos, offer a tea matching service, showcase new and innovative flavour combinations, run mixology masterclasses and hold other events.
Bird & Blend Tea Co. was founded by Krisi Smith and Mike Turner, who met at university. Beginning their story packing tea in their bedroom and attending markets, they have built Bird & Blend Tea Co from scratch.
The firm said: “Now with a wonderfully diverse team, multiple retail stores and a thriving international online store, the brand is leading the way in tea innovation in the UK; creating a range of over 100 exciting tea flavours by blending ingredients including herbs, flowers, fruits, caramel, chocolate... and even cake sprinkles”.
Mr Turner said: “Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do. Alongside the fast growth of the digital side of our business, we’re proudly continuing to invest in local high streets too.
“We see our stores as not just retail spaces, but as community hubs where customers can come to make connections with one another and our team, and enjoy interacting with our teas.
“For us, there will always be a place for magical in-person experiences and we’re delighted to be arriving in Edinburgh.”
Opening today with a Fringe pop-up, followed by a full opening shortly afterwards, the store will showcase its range of teas, and the largest Matcha tea range that can be found in the UK, via its bespoke Tea Wall display, alongside the wide range of tea tools and utensils and its takeaway tea bar.
The store will run its own award-winning mixology workshops, where guests can learn about tea and blend their own to take home.
On opening day, the first 50 customers will receive an exclusive Edinburgh Tote bag and free tea. The Bird & Blend Edinburgh store is at 89 Rose Street.
Scottish unemployment figure up by 24,000 over three months
Scotland’s unemployment rate has jumped to 4.0% as new figures showed a rise in the number of people out of work.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed 109,000 people aged 16 and over were out of work over the period April to June – up by 24,000 on the first three months of the year. There were 2,652,000 Scots in work, down by 31,000 on the January to March figures.
Papa Johns grabs a slice of Scottish allergy technology
Scottish food safety specialist LiberEat has secured a deal with an international pizza chain to deliver allergen information to more than 500 stores, including those in Scotland.
Headquartered in Aberdeen, LiberEat's AI-driven platform will be deployed by Papa Johns across the UK as a second line of defence to support the restaurant chain's food safety and quality assurance measures to protect customers against allergen risks.
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