Sherlock Secrets and Tea Moments at Food & Drink Expo 2026 in Birmingham
5 May 2026
In April 2026, Trypillya Sun presented its Tea Moments and Sherlock Secrets brands at Food & Drink Expo 2026 in Birmingham, one of the key trade events for the British food and beverage industry.
For the company, the exhibition was more than a chance to show a Ukrainian product to an international audience. It was an important stage in a structured entry into the UK market.
Export is now one of Trypillya Sun’s strategic priorities. In 2025, the company’s export shipments grew by 635%, and exports reached 10% of its total brand portfolio. The company’s products are already available in a number of international markets, and the UK has become one of its next priority markets.
Tea Moments: proven interest from British consumers
Before the Food & Drink Expo, the company commissioned independent research among 100 British fruit tea consumers through the Stickybeak platform. The results were an important confirmation of Tea Moments’ potential in a new market.
Tea Moments Summer Melody ranked first for purchase intent among the brands tested. 67% of respondents called the product unique, and 56% said they would be ready to buy it even without tasting it first, based only on the product concept and packaging design.
In the final tastings of the Taste the Future programme, the brand took second place among four finalists. This is a particularly important result for Tea Moments, as the brand offers British consumers a fresh take on a familiar tea category.
Single-serve sachets, bright fruit blends and modern packaging design create a different way of enjoying tea. This combination of product, format and emotion caught the attention of visitors and became one of the key topics in conversations with potential partners.
Sherlock Secrets: a modern take on the British tea tradition
The second brand Trypillya Sun presented in Birmingham was Sherlock Secrets. The brand has a special context in the British market: it was created as a modern interpretation of British tea culture, so entering the UK is both an ambitious and a logical step for it.
At the Food & Drink Expo, the brand received positive feedback for its clear positioning, product quality, flavour profile and a format familiar to European consumers. Talks with potential partners, distributors and retail representatives confirmed interest in the brand and its potential for further growth.
The UK as a strategic market
Entering the British market takes much more than a quality product. The UK has one of the strongest tea cultures in the world, established consumer habits and a high level of competition.
That is why, before entering new markets, Trypillya Sun analyses not only taste preferences but also consumer behaviour, category specifics, distribution channels and the positioning of key players.
The results of Food & Drink Expo 2026 and the earlier consumer research showed several important things: the British market is open to new brands, modern and innovative formats can attract attention even in a traditional category, and the right product positioning brings a quick response from both consumers and trade professionals.
The Tea Moments result was especially telling. The research showed that the brand’s main barrier is not the product, its taste, price or concept, but above all its lack of physical presence in British retail.
Next step: scaling up
Taking part in Food & Drink Expo 2026 allowed the company to move from researching the British market to talking directly with its players. Meetings with distributors, buyers and potential retail partners provided practical feedback on the products and confirmed the prospects for further development.
The Trypillya Sun team is now assessing the most effective go-to-market model for the UK, taking into account the specifics of retail, the significant role of HoReCa and local tea-drinking habits.
For the company, international growth is not a one-off experiment but part of a long-term strategy. In three years, Trypillya Sun has become the second-largest player in Ukraine’s tea category, and two of its four brands are in the category’s top five. The next task is to apply the product, production and marketing expertise it has built up to growth in international markets.
Food & Drink Expo 2026 was an important confirmation for us: a Ukrainian tea product can compete in one of the most traditional and demanding tea markets in the world. We see real interest, we see opportunities for growth, and we keep moving forward.
We thank our partners, retail representatives, distributors and all visitors to Food & Drink Expo 2026 for their interest in Tea Moments and Sherlock Secrets and their openness to dialogue.
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