Gosport company ensures there will be no more royal outrage by keeping Portsmouth’s tea-drinking history alive

Had the bride-to-be of King Charles II lived four and a half centuries later she could have simply popped across the harbour to Tea Mountain in Gosport to have her tastebuds tantalised by a good local brew.

Tea Mountain began in 2021 and since then it has launched a Portsmouth Tea which is readily available in shops and cafés in the local area, as well as at the Spinnaker Tower and Portsmouth FC.

So proud of its wares, founder Alexis Rendell decided to join 40 other businesses in showing off their products and services at the first GetSet Solent Connect Expo.

“I decided to exhibit at the GetSet Solent Connect Expo to raise awareness of Tea Mountain and meet other like-minded business owners who may also be interested in collaborating or stocking a local tea,” explained Alexis Rendell.

“Portsmouth Tea celebrates Portsmouth’s place in Britain’s tea history, which starts with Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese bride-to-be of King Charles II, who arrived in

Portsmouth in 1662 and was horrified to discover that tea wasn’t available in England. She immediately had a supply shipped over and that was the start of tea becoming a staple part of British life.”

GetSet Solent is a business support programme delivering specialist, fully funded access to finance and marketing support to help businesses with the potential and ambition to grow, through a range of engaging workshops, 1:1 sessions and support to access the GetSet Solent Grant Programme.

‘Being part of GetSet Solent has enabled me to become more aware of my capabilities and potential for success,’ said Alexis. ‘The workshops on e-commerce, branding, social media and finance have been very helpful. I’m currently working on my business strategy and preparing to launch a range of Christmas gifts.’

Helen Stratton, programme director of GetSet Solent said: ‘The GetSet Connect Expo was a great way for Solent-based businesses to connect, collaborate and showcase their business. Having a network is so important when growing a business.’