Gtea Gin marries fruits and teas in innovative range

An innovative UK spirits brand is marrying two of the country’s favourite beverages – tea and gin – in its vibrant range.

Gtea Gin, based in Hertfordshire, believes it is the first gin brand in the UK to release tea-infused gin.

The company was founded in 2020 by Paresh Thakkar, who started a tea business in 2014 before moving into spirits, and son Roshan.

Paresh said: “I experimented with teas and gins and the flavours I was able to create were very good. We started looking for a distillery who we could work with to help us develop the tea-and-gin idea on a more commercial basis.

“We understand that gin is a crowded market and we need to have a USP, and ours has that; it is a tea-infused product and it is all natural.”

Paresh and Roshan partnered with international beverage alcohol company Crafted Spirits to create their gins, sending over some teas for experimentation. Gtea actually steeps tea leaves in its spirit, which Paresh says intensifies the tea flavour in the gin.

Despite delays due to Covid-19, Gtea Gin hit the market in summer 2020 with six flavoured expressions, including Sencha Tea, Pineapple and Coconut, Sencha Tea, Strawberries and Cream, and Black Tea and Wild Cherry, as well as a London Dry Gin.

As well as promoting their products through UK retailers, Paresh and Roshan are making inroads into the American market; four Gtea expressions have received the green light to be sold in the US, with three more awaiting approval. They say exciting developments are on the horizon in the UK, US and India, their newest market.