Trafford tea company brews up a business success story - thanks to ultrafast broadband
A Trafford company is experiencing the sweet taste of success – thanks to ultrafast broadband.
Brew Tea Co., which provides high quality rolled, whole leaf tea for supermarkets such as Waitrose and Sainsburys, has recruited 10 new staff and increased its business by 40 per cent since getting the latest Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology, which is capable of delivering ultrafast speeds up to one gigabit per second (Gbps).
The high-flying firm, which was recently visited by local MP Kate Green, is one of more than 8,000 businesses in Greater Manchester able to benefit from high-speed fibre broadband being rolled out by the Get Digital Faster programme.
Get Digital Faster, which is supported with funding from the UK Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme, local Greater Manchester districts, the EU and BT, has also made fibre broadband available to nearly 40,000 households.
Aideen Kirby, co-founder of the Brew Tea Co, which started using ultrafast broadband last Autumn, said: “Since ordering fibre broadband, the difference to my business is like night to day. I’ve been able to streamline my business by taking advantage of apps in the cloud, which has made our order process more streamlined.This wasn’t possible when we had our slow broadband connection. .
“The fast connection, giving us access to cloud software, has meant we can take and fulfil more orders and predict demand more accurately so much so we’ve had to take on 10 new staff to cope with the demand.
“It doesn't just help with order processing though, it helps us with literally every aspect of our business from financial planning to raw material tracking to order processing. It's this streamlined process that has helped us focus on growth rather than living up to our necks in paperwork and my business has grown 40 per cent as a result.”
The ability to access cloud-based software – usage of which is growing at 32 per cent each year, according to industry analyst house, Gartner – is just one of the benefits to businesses of having a superfast broadband connection.*
Damien Cutting, senior strategic growth officer at Trafford Council, said: “The Get Digital Broadband Faster programme is helping people and businesses across Greater Manchester to become better connected digitally. We are delighted that the Brew Tea Co. is reaping the benefits of ultrafast broadband and we are supporting a number of organisations throughout Trafford to enable them to gain access to high-speed fibre broadband.”
Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmiston, who visited the company, said: “Fast, reliable broadband is crucial for our local businesses and it’s great to hear of the success Brew Tea Co. have had since they started using ultrafast broadband.
“As MP, over the past several years I’ve pressed Ministers to introduce superfast broadband in Trafford Park and will continue to press for this so that all local businesses can see the benefits of a fast and reliable internet connection enjoyed by Brew Tea Co.”
Mike Blackburn, chairman of BT’s North West regional board, said: “It’s great to see the achievements of local firms like Brew Tea Co. The availability of this exciting technology for businesses across Greater Manchester will play a vital role in the future success and prosperity of the area. High-speed broadband is a major tool in helping today’s businesses attract new customers and work more efficiently. Whether you are an established business or a start-up, fibre broadband offers tremendous opportunities.”
And it’s not just businesses that are benefitting from the high speed technology. Get Digital Faster is working to roll out faster, more reliable broadband to homes as well as businesses in Greater Manchester by delivering fibre broadband in areas which fall outside the private sector’s commercial roll-out of the high-speed technology.
Whether you own a business, work from home or want to keep in touch with friends and family, fibre broadband enables multiple users to connect to the internet at high speeds and get better, faster access to online services.
The new fibre-based network being rolled out by engineers from Openreach, the local network business which is part of BT Group, is open to all broadbandproviders on an equal wholesale basis so local businesses and households can benefit from competitive products and prices from a wide range of providers.
ENDS
For further information
Contact Janet Hare in the BT North West Regional Press Office
Tel: Direct when phoning from the NW 0800 085 0660.If phoning from outside the NW or by mobile phone please ring 01244 316 417Email:janet.hare@bt.com
All our news releases can be found at www.btplc.com/news
Notes to Editors:
* Source - Gartner Forecast: IT Services, Worldwide, 2014-2020, 1Q16 Update https://www.gartner.com/doc/3262517/forecast-it-services-worldwide-Gartner source
Brew Tea Co - www.brewteacompany.co.uk
About BT
BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world. It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and services.BT consists of six customer-facing lines of business: Consumer, EE, Business and Public Sector, Global Services, Wholesale and Ventures, and Openreach.
For the year ended 31 March 2017, BT Group’s reported revenue was £24,062m with reported profit before taxation of £2,354m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.btplc.com
About BDUK
Superfast Britain is a Government programme of investment in broadband and communication infrastructure across the UK. Run by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, this investment helps businesses to grow, creates jobs and will make Britain more competitive in the global race. The portfolio is comprised of three elements:
For further information: https://www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk
About ERDF
The Get Digital Faster project is part financed by the North West European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013.
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit
https://www.gov.uk/erdf-programmes-and-resources#north-west
