Hampstead entrepreneurs are to face the dragons in their den in a pitch to expand their energy drink empire.
PerfectTed, led by brothers Teddie and Levi Levenfiche and Marisa Poster have created Europe’s first matcha green tea-powered canned energy drink, which launched in Tesco on Tuesday.
The team are appearing on BBC 1's Dragons' Den on Thursday (March 2) at 8pm.
Despite battling difficult conditions, the trio had just five days to prepare, and Teddie was dealing with a nasty bout of glandular fever.
However in a preview following last week's show, dragon Sarah Davies said: "If there was a case study on how entrepreneurs should go into the den to pitch, you two would be it.”
Marisa hails from New York City and met the brothers when all three were studying at the University of Pennsylvania.
Now back in London, living in Fitzrovia, they turned to matcha while working long hours in finance and never looked back.
They describe how would batch-make big jugs to get them through a busy week but needed a high quality on-the-go solution to stay energised.
They tried the few matcha powders and drinks on the market, but found them grassy, bitter, and full of additives and sweeteners, so they set out to discover a better solution.
After six months sourcing the highest quality organic, ceremonial grade matcha from farms across Uji, Japan, they fused the powder with fruit juice for a "refreshing caffeine fix with a stable energy peak".
Three flavours are available – Pear Ginger, Apple Raspberry and Pineapple Yuzu.
The caffeine from green tea lasts 4 to 6 hours, versus 1 to 2 hours from coffee or other energy drinks; the l-theanine in matcha regulates the absorption of caffeine into the body, helping to avoid the jitters and post-caffeine crash.
They said the name PerfectTed came about as Teddie was Head Boy at school, a college athlete at UPenn, on track to go into pro football when he passed up a spot at Harvard Law to pursue his start-up dream, a "natural moniker" for their business.
Marisa, who dates Levi, said about the Tesco deal: "PerfectTed is disrupting the high-growth energy drink market with an approachable brand and products that outperform on health, functionality, and flavour.
"We are thrilled to make matcha's superfood properties and longer-lasting energy more accessible in Tesco's iconic Meal Deal and in multipacks."
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