A tea company has made The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list 2024.

Bird and Blend Tea Co., an independent tea company which has shops in Brighton and Worthing, has secured a place on the newspaper’s list after over 70,000 companies and brands were surveyed.

The list looked at businesses' ability to engage and support people of all ages. It considered the following criteria: reward and recognition, instilling pride, information sharing, empowerment, wellbeing and job satisfaction.

The list states: "Enlightened policies go further than the odd carton of oat milk in the office fridge. At Worthing-based Bird & Blend Tea, for instance, co-founders Krisi Smith and Mike Turner know all 164 employees by name and initiatives including paid volunteering days and a monthly tea allowance make life at work feel sweet."

Mike Turner, Bird and Blend Tea Co. co-founder, said: “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 and Blend Tea Co. was founded eleven years ago by Mike Turner and Krisi Smith.

It opened its eighteenth shop in Canterbury last week and will open its first store in Newcastle this month.

Mr Turner said: “Making the list this year doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to strive to be the best place to work.  We’ll build and improve our culture as a core focus and aim to be trailblazing leaders.

“To keep pushing forward, next year we’d love to aim big and make the top 10 category alongside names like Octopus Energy, Dishoom and Vitality.”