Funding Circle teams up with Bird & Blend to support SME customers
Funding Circle has teamed up with one of its customers, Bird & Blend Tea Co., to offer its products to its employees.
The small business loan platform will offer a range of tea blends to its more than 600 UK employees as part of its efforts to support small businesses.
Bird & Blend became a Funding Circle customer during the pandemic when it had to shut 11 stores in the UK and moved its business online. The group has now reopened its stores and added four new locations. It also increased its headcount by 60 to 139 employees.
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Most recently, Bird & Blend raised more than £1m through crowdfunding from approximately 2,000 investors.
“Bird & Blend is a brilliant example of a Funding Circle customer that successfully adapted and pivoted during the pandemic and we are excited to see what they do next,” said Alexander Allen, UK managing director at Funding Circle. “Funding Circle is a proud champion of SMEs in every sense and we are on a mission to support small businesses in every corner of the UK as they drive the UK’s economic growth.”
Mike Turner, co-founder of Bird & Blend, added: “Funding Circle was a great help to us during the pandemic and enabled us to continue to surprise and delight our customers with amazing cuppas so we are pleased to be able to provide them with awesome tea!”
This is not the first time Funding Circle, led by chief executive Lisa Jacobs (pictured), has partnered with one of its customers. In March, to celebrate International Women’s Day, the firm sourced drinks for its even from female-led small business customers including The Pretty Decent Beer Co and Square Root Soda.
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