Our mission at Future Planet Capital Regional is to support innovative businesses across the West Midlands as they bring their ideas to life. Their success fuels the region’s future: attracting new investment, creating jobs, and driving progress that benefits the wider economy. One such business is Saicho, which secured £1.5 million in funding from Future Planet Capital Regional.
We spoke with one of the founders Charlie Winkworth-Smith, and FPC Regional’s Investment Director, Rupert Lyle, who is also Fund Principal of West Midlands Co-Investment (WMCO) Fund, about how Saicho came into being and why it has been so successful.
What sparked the idea for Saicho, and how has the business evolved since working with Future Planet Capital Regional?
Charlie: Saicho really started from a personal experience. My wife, Natalie, and I are real foodies, but Natalie can’t drink alcohol, so whenever we went out for a great meal, I’d be enjoying a wine pairing while she was left with a glass of water. It felt like she was missing out, not just on a drink, but on the whole experience; the storytelling, the pairing, the sense of occasion.
That’s how the idea came about. Our backgrounds are in food science, and we’ve always been passionate about food and drink, so we started thinking about what could fill that gap. We didn’t want to replicate wine, we wanted to create something that could stand on its own. Tea felt like a natural starting point, especially given Natalie’s upbringing in Hong Kong, where tea is such an integral part of dining culture.
Rupert: Culturally we’re seeing more and more people looking for alternatives to alcohol – for a variety of different reasons – but those alternatives are either sugary soft drinks or non-alcohol versions of alcoholic drinks. What Saicho has created is a genuine alternative with its own concept, flavour profiles and qualities, and definitely a welcome entrant to the market.
Saicho is a great example of how products designed in the Midlands can scale onto a global stage. Ever since the days of Bird’s and Cadbury’s, Birmingham’s reputation as a food hub has been growing and is now second only to London in terms of Michelin stars.
From when we launched in 2019, to today, the evolution has been substantial. We’re now in year six, operating in 25 countries, and you’ll find us in around 120 Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as luxury hotels and retailers like Harrods and Selfridges.
How has investment from Future Planet Capital Regional and the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund supported your growth ambitions?
The investment came through in early 2024, and it’s been transformational for us.
At this stage of the business, having the ability to grow the team has been critical. We’re operating globally, and what we do requires a lot of education – people don’t necessarily know what sparkling tea is, where it sits on a menu, or how to position it. So having the resource to bring in the right people across sales, marketing and operations has made a huge difference.
Beyond the capital, the support from Future Planet Capital Regional has been incredibly valuable. Rupert, in particular, has worked closely with me over the past year. He’s involved in our board meetings and has really helped bring structure and discipline as we scale.
When we met the Saicho team, we instantly saw a fast-growing company creating a brand-new category: luxury single-origin, non-alcoholic sparkling tea with strong brand equity and listings in 5-star hotels, fine dining restaurants and retailers in 14 countries across the world.
Rupert is also a great sounding board. When you’re building a business like this, having someone with that level of experience to sense-check decisions is hugely important. On top of that, the wider network has been useful too, FPC Regional has introduced us to other portfolio companies and opportunities we wouldn’t have accessed otherwise.
From the very first conversation, it was clear Rupert and the team understood both the opportunity and the journey required to get there. That long-term perspective is exactly what we were looking for in an investor.
How do you see Saicho contributing to innovation and premium drinks manufacturing in the West Midlands?
Our connection to the West Midlands is more personal than strategic, we’re based here because of Natalie’s previous role, but we’ve found it’s a great place for us to live and run the business from. From a production perspective, we work with a manufacturer in Shropshire, so we’re operating a manufacturing facility in the wider region.
Overall, I think we’re contributing to a broader shift in the UK drinks space; particularly around premium, non-alcoholic innovation and its fantastic that that shift is starting in the West Midlands. It’s still a relatively new category, and we’re helping to define what that can look like at the top end of the market.
The West Midlands has a long history of food and drink innovation, from globally recognised heritage brands through to the next generation of premium consumer businesses. Saicho represents a modern evolution of that tradition – combining science, craftsmanship, branding and export potential into a product that is genuinely differentiated on the world stage.
What is particularly exciting is that Saicho is not competing on price or volume; it is competing on quality, experience and brand. Those are exactly the kinds of high-value businesses that help strengthen the region’s economy and international reputation over the long term.
What’s next for the brand in terms of growth, partnerships, or expansion?
We’re still growing quickly, but the focus now is less about entering new markets and more about going deeper in the ones we’re already in. We recently launched in the US, starting with New York, which is a big milestone for us. The Middle East has also been a key focus, although there are obviously some short-term challenges there currently.
Being in 25 markets gives us a strong foundation, so the priority now is to build on that; expanding our presence within those countries, particularly across luxury hospitality and increasingly in retail as well. Hong Kong is a good example of where we’re seeing that retail side develop more strongly.
Ultimately, it’s about continuing to grow the brand in the right way – focusing on quality of placement, building awareness through discovery, and continuing to establish sparkling tea as a category in its own right.
One of the most impressive aspects of Saicho’s growth has been the discipline behind it. The team has been very focused on building the brand carefully and sustainably, rather than simply chasing rapid expansion for its own sake.
What Charlie and Natalie are building is much bigger than a beverage brand. They are creating a globally recognised premium category from the West Midlands, with the potential to drive high-value manufacturing, exports and innovation from the region onto the international stage.
From an investment perspective, we believe there is significant long-term global potential in premium non-alcoholic beverages, particularly as consumer preferences continue to evolve. Saicho is exceptionally well positioned at the premium end of that market, and we’re excited to support the next phase of the company’s international growth journey.