Newcastle creators of tea with a tipsy twist are set to take their novel drink around the world through a £120,000 crowdfunding bid.

The founders of Noveltea are looking to raise the sum to sell the drinks overseas, following early success for the fledgling firm.

Former Newcastle University students Vincent Efferoth and Lukas Passia both originally come from Germany, but settled in the North East to launch Noveltea, after being set on their business path by the British fascination for craft beers, spirits and afternoon tea traditions.

NovelTea sells a range of boozy afternoon teas that are infused with gin or rum and the firm has achieved great success locally after it was stocked in Newcastle’s Fenwick Food Hall – and the afternoon tipple has now made its way to London after hitting Harrods’ shelves.

The Tale of Tangier, an infusion of Moroccan green mint tea with Caribbean rum and The Tale of Earl Grey, an infusion of Earl Grey tea with gin and botanicals
The Tale of Tangier, an infusion of Moroccan green mint tea with Caribbean rum and The Tale of Earl Grey, an infusion of Earl Grey tea with gin and botanicals

Noveltea has also struck a dea l with John Lewis that will see its drinks stocked in 12 stores across the country from this weekend.

Mr Efferoth said: “Obviously Harrods is world famous and it means a lot for us at Noveltea to be recognised as a high premium product.

“We were in London last week and it was just an amazing experience. We were there doing customer sampling, and it was great to see how well Noveltea is being received.”

Following on from the their company’s growing success in the UK, the duo are now looking to raise the six-figure sum to drive oversea sales and further promote the business.

Mr Efferoth added: “We are looking to raise £120,000 and the aim is to extend our team to reinforce our marketing activities, in a cost efficient way, and to meet our working capital requirements. We now have bigger accounts and we need to have the financial resources to deliver.

Noveltea
Noveltea

“We want the financial resources to develop Noveltea as an international brand. We are preparing for exporting opportunities.”

The campaign is taking place on crowdfunding site Crowdcube and is now under way.

In return for the investment Noveltea is offering backers a 12.5% share in the company. Those interested in backing the firm can invest with as little as £10.

Noveltea’s crowdfunding campaign will take place after the duo hold a private investment round involving their friends and family.

Crowdcube is the same website used by fellow Newcastle beverage company Canny, which successfully raised £180,380 last month.

Mr Efferoth added that the company decided to raise cash through crowdfunding as the pair wanted to reward those who had supported the business already.

“One reason we decided to go for crowdfunding, was to get the Noveltea lovers in and bring them on our journey.

“It is amazing how far we have come in the market and we want to bring everyone on board to make it even greater.”