Candice Mason, founder of herbal tea company Mother Cuppa, is keen to quote statistics about funding for female-founded businesses in the UK, and the results are likely to leave you needing something a little stronger than a cup of tea.
In October, Candice launched a crowdfunding platform to raise the £7,000 she needed to bring the fourth blend in her range of natural teas, developed to support women’s health throughout the lifecycle, to market.
The intention is that Clarity, a herbal tea for women navigating midlife challenges – the brain fog, the constant juggling of work, teenagers and life in general – will join Energise, Hydrate and Relax in the Mother Cuppa family.
Embarking on a round of fundraising wasn’t straightforward. Statistics show that only 2p of every £1 invested in early-stage businesses in the UK goes to female-founded businesses, making men nearly 43 times more likely to receive investment than women. In spite of this, figures also show that in the UK the insolvency rate is 70% higher in male-run companies.
Having considered the options, including bank, family and angel investment, Candice decided on crowdfunding – a move that has not only given her the confidence to build and develop her business but also to encourage other women in business to consider the same approach.
“I’ve been working in my husband’s family firm, Masons Minibuses and Coaches, for some time,”
said Candice, who is a member and regular networker at Collaborate MK.
“We were hit hard by Covid and I saw a deterioration in my health due to the stress.
“I am a trained tea sommelier and always enjoyed mixing new blends for myself and family and friends, and realised there was a business idea there. It took me a while to find the confidence to go ahead and set up Mother Cuppa, but eventually found the courage and decided if I was going to do it at all, now was the time.”
Selling via a subscription model on the Mother Cuppa website proved successful over the first two years. The three existing blends, while suitable for everyone, are particularly aimed at women who need a boost during various stages of their lives, from periods to peri-menopause and menopause, when hormonal changes can affect sleep patterns, energy levels, moods and anxiety levels.
“I had health problems when I was a teenager and had a medically induced but reversable menopause in my 20s,”
said Candice.
“I never really felt in control of my own body and that led me to natural, herbal remedies that could support me.
“The first three blends are proving popular but, with any product-based business, increased demand means increased cost in terms of ingredients and packaging, and so when I decided to launch Clarity, I could only do it with the help of some investment.”
One of Candice’s missions for her business was that its growth would be driven by what her customer wanted, so, for instance, if she found a significant proportion of customers were women on HRT, or were cancer sufferers or survivors, then new products could be tailored to them. Mother Cuppa has a team of tasters and testers who are invited to try the products while they are in development.
Bringing Clarity to market was always going to be part-funded through a pre-order, but that was never going to be enough, so the crowdfunding campaign was launched with an added donation option.
More than 55 supportive, predominantly female-founded businesses approached Candice with gifting options, from skin care and books to business-based rewards like website audits and IT training, that could be offered as rewards through the crowdfunding campaign.
“We organised the campaign through our own website so that we remained in control and could decide when we wound it up, or extended it, depending on the response,”
said Candice.
“I tried to enlist the help of some other businesses to gift products or services people could purchase, and the level of support I received was amazing. Most of the businesses that have supported me were founded and are led by women, I think that’s because women understand how difficult it is for women to get investment.
“In our case it was £7,000, which isn’t a lot of money in terms of business investment, it’s definitely achievable, and I just needed the confidence to go for it. I decided to just be authentic, it’s not about me personally, it’s about allowing a brand to grow, but I was clear that I am not taking a salary, all the money is going into the product and getting it to market, and they’re investing in a real, long-term initiative.”
One important outcome of the crowdfunding campaign is that it has drawn enquiries from other investors who are interested in speaking to Candice about other forms of investment, something she’ll be investigating over the next few months once the crowdfunding campaign is over.
“I think one of the most important things for me is that it has raised curiosity about crowdfunding,”
said Candice.
“This is a way to fund a business that empowers women, it’s a model that gives them choices and control, and I’d absolutely encourage anyone to try it. Too often women running their own businesses have a lack of self-confidence and belief in themselves. This is a way that they can take control and explore other options, and I’d definitely encourage them to do it.”
Find out more about Mother Cuppa at www.mothercuppatea.com
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