Businessman hopes to brew up an empire with chain of pubs serving loose leaf tea

AN ENTREPRENEUR wants to get Britain’s favourite drink taken seriously by opening London’s first specialist tea pub.

Alex Holland has launched a crowdfunding campaign to open Brew, in Balham, by the autumn.

“Lots of British tea experiences have become a bit of a joke,” he said. “I want it to be taken as seriously as wine and coffee. Why do we accept such poorquality tea? It’s easier to get a good pot in Paris.”

The pub will serve high-quality loose leaf tea during the day and tea-infused cocktails such as Lapsang Old Fashioneds and Green Tea Martinis at night, as well as food.

Following criticism of the Cereal Killer café in Shoreditch, which was accused of being overpriced and targeted at hipsters rather than all locals, Mr Holland moved to allay fears he was creating a fad. “Brew will have the authentic atmosphere of a pub, it will be good quality and affordable. We will pay the Living Wage,” he said.

The former journalist hopes to raise £180,000 from the campaign to open the pub. He plans to open 10 across the country in the next four years before franchising out the brand.

Brew made its debut with a pop-up in Brixton Market in December. “It was freezing and people normally go there for food but we still smashed it,” said Mr Holland, who helped save the market from redevelopment in 2009 and served as a Labour councillor for Brixton Hill ward for four years from 2010.

The pop-up employed former inmates from HMP Brixton and will continue the policy in partnership with charities including Switchback and Bounce Back. Iqbal Wahhab, founder of The Cinnamon Club, will support the business and Giuseppe Mascoli, who founded sourdough pizza company Franco Manca, is investing. “I know Alex, he knows tea and we both hate teabags,” he said.