A Harrogate tea firm won investment on TV's Dragon's Den, but how is it using the money?

TEA+, which makes vitamin-infused drinks, has undergone a rebrand after partnering with Vitabiotics, whose CEO, Tej Lalvani, ploughed £75,000 into the business in return for his expertise and 50 per cent of the company.

The tie-up prompted extensive work to reformulate and reposition the range, which are now sold under the Vitabiotics brand.

Founder James Dawson said: “It’s a huge opportunity for us. We set out to evolve the healthy hot drink space by introducing the world of supplements to the category for the first time.

“This partnership gives us the ability to leverage the expertise and trusted brand name of Vitabiotics and will take the range to a whole new level.”

Mr Dawson launched TEA+ with wife Jade in 2016 and quickly saw success, winning several business awards.

The company launched to capitalise on the changing culture of tea drinking in the UK as black tea sales fall and growth continues in the green and herbal sectors.

Tej Lalvani said: “Vitamin-infused tea is something we have been considering for a long time at Vitabiotics, so when James presented the product range in the Den, I was immediately interested in becoming a partner.

“So far, I’m really impressed with what the business has to offer and I’m very excited about TEA+ becoming a long-term partner of Vitabiotics.”