The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 celebrates businesses that are doing a great job of engaging & supporting people of all ages with work that’s meaningful, purposeful and inspiring. Exactly what Bird & Blend Tea Co. stands for and speaks directly to what the brand is all about.
Bird & Blend, Co-Founded by Krisi Smith and Mike Turner, 11 years ago, began with a mission statement (written on the back of that napkin) that read: ‘Prove you could build a successful business that based its decisions on people & planet, not just profit’.
Of the accolade, Turner said “Fast forward to today, and our core purpose at the very top of our strategy is ‘to be known and loved as a great place to work’, and to receive this kind of recognition for the first time is something bigger than any financial number for us.
Every single person in the business, and we have 164 employees, contributes to our workplace culture to some extent through their actions every day. That culture forms our ’employee experience’ and this list is the most widely known recognition of that. So, making it is a huge achievement that every one of us should feel proud of contributing towards.”
Bird & Blend continues to grow with seven new high street retail stores planned to open in 2024. The 18th store, opened last week in Canterbury and Newcastle opens on 20th May, with further stores planned for local high streets later in 2024. Each store brings recruitment opportunity to join the brand, with Turner adding, “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 on the high street.”
Turner continued, “Being able to call ourselves a Sunday Times accredited Best Place to Work helps us on this journey. It supports us in attracting amazing new team members into the business who then support our culture, teach us new skills, bring new perspectives, tell us new jokes and generally make us an even better place to spend our time. It’s also sure to grab the attention of press & potential new partners.”
