Achieving Small Business Success Whilst Remaining Purpose-Driven

Can a business grow and scale whilst genuinely putting purpose before profit? 

In this episode of OxTalks, host Howard Bentham speaks with Bethan Thomas, co-founder and CEO of HotTea Mama, an award-winning women's wellness tea company that has grown from a kitchen-table start-up to a brand stocked in Holland & Barrett, Selfridges and Planet Organic. Bethan shares her remarkable journey from studying tea science in China to creating a business that supports women through periods, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause.

With the UK losing 150 million working days each year due to poor women's health and purpose-led UK businesses achieving 20% turnover growth compared to just 3% for all SMEs, Bethan's story demonstrates how values-driven entrepreneurship can deliver both commercial success and meaningful social impact. 

This conversation explores the practical realities of building a mission-led brand, from navigating supply chains and retail partnerships to maintaining authenticity in an age of greenwashing, all whilst managing the demands of motherhood and running a growing business.

• (00:00) - Welcome to OxTalks
• (03:33) - Why Tea? A Fascination Born in China
• (05:06) - From Oxford to Tea Science
• (07:55) - The Birth of HotTea Mama
• (11:49) - The Early Days
• (15:11) - Business Support and the Power of Networking
• (17:36) - Partnering with Charities and Purpose-Driven Work
• (20:13) - Environmental and Social Commitments
• (22:28) - Virtue Signalling or Authentic Purpose?
• (25:54) - Is Purpose-Driven Business Harder Work?
• (28:53) - The Power of Social Media and TikTok
• (32:50) - Future Plans: Scaling to Boots and Waitrose
• (36:44) - Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programme
• (39:32) - The Five-Year Plan and Product Diversification
• (42:44) - Advice for Purpose-Driven Businesses

Bethan Thomas: Bethan Thomas is the co-founder and CEO of HotTea Mama, an award-winning women's wellness tea and hot beverage company creating functional blends to support women through periods, fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause. A graduate of Oxford University with a master's in Modern Chinese, Bethan is the first non-Chinese person to earn a degree in Tea Science from Fujian Agricultural University in China, where she specialised in understanding how botanicals and herbs can support health and wellbeing. After more than a decade working as a professional tea buyer and taster for major British tea companies, she co-founded HotTea Mama in 2017 with her friend Kate Achilles, inspired by their own experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood. Under Bethan's leadership, HotTea Mama has grown to a £1.2 million turnover business, winning multiple awards including recognition from the Nourish Awards and UK Baby Awards, and is now stocked in over 750 Holland & Barrett stores nationwide, as well as Selfridges and Planet Organic. Bethan is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme and a strong advocate for women-led, purpose-driven business.

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Our work has made a significant impact, helping to create favourable conditions for economic growth in Oxfordshire. We provide support for hundreds of businesses and communities in the county, supporting their desire to grow and attract the best talent locally, nationally and internationally.

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OxTalks is recorded at the Oxford Podcast Studio and produced by Story Ninety-Four.