A trio of entrepreneurs, including a former Typhoo executive, secure a £100,000 investment for their fledgling Liverpool tea distribution business with a homage to a Hollywood blockbuster. Tony McDonough reports

A Liverpool tea distributor launched in 2022 has secured a £100,000 investment via city centre based River Capital.

Founded in India by Gholam Momen and Saif Servaia, both members of a family with 75 years experience in the tea trade, the business is now based in Liverpool and they have been joined by former Typoo tea executive Razi Khan.

They have called the business Stratton Tea, a homage to Stratton Oakmont. This was company founded by US entrepreneur and disgraced stockbroker Jordan Belfort, immortalised by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Wolf of Wall Street.

Stratton’s current business model is the importation of tea for distribution to UK manufacturers and the export of blended tea products Europe, Africa, China, and the Middle East.

However, Razi told LBN that its eventual ambition is to set up its own tea blending and manufacturing facility. He said: “We would produce tea under our own brand or produce white label products for customers such as major supermarkets.”

Razi worked for Typhoo Tea for 12 years and was based at the company’s factory in Morton in Wirral. In March Typhoo announced the plant was to close with the loss of 90 jobs.

At Typhoo, Razi built a network of suppliers, distributors, and retailers while honing his tea blending and brand marketing skills. Gholam and Saif’s family in India owned a tea plantation which led to a tea brokerage and tea packing business.

This latest £100,000 investment has come from NPIF-River Capital & GC Business Finance Microfinance Investment, which River Capital manages in partnership with GC Business Finance as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

These funds have bolstered equipment purchases and the creation of pivotal roles within the company, paving the way for a new expansion phase.

Razi is dedicated to ethical practices within the industry. His efforts include partnering with organisations such as UNICEF to combat child labour, gender equality, women empowerment and slavery in India, and Africa.

He also aims to ensure that Stratton Tea’s sourcing remains ethically responsible. He added: “My vision to bring tea from bush to cup is to transform consumers into drinking high quality and responsibly sourced beverages.

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“Our aim in the medium and longer term would be to have a manufacturing site in the North West with an aim to grow and hire locally.

At Stratton Tea, we are looking to export products manufactured in the UK. In order to do so, we would like to thank all our partners such as River Capital who have played an important role and trusted us with their support for the business.”

Sue Chambers, investment manager at River Capital, also said: “Razi’s wealth of industry experience and his extensive global network are already yielding impressive results in terms of orders and contracts.

“We have full confidence in the continued success of the business and eagerly anticipate Razi’s journey.”