Charbrew role is Hook’s cup of tea

CHARBREW, a fruit and herbal tea brand founded by Manchester entrepreneur Adam Soliman, has appointed the former boss of gluten-free food group Nutrition Point as chairman to support its growth plans.

Chris Hook, who founded Warrington based Nutrition Point in 1998, stepped down the from the wheat and gluten free specialist last year after selling the remainder of his shareholding to parent company Dr Schar.

Mr Hook, 53, has been appointed chairman of Global Tea & Coffee Exchange, Charbrew’s parent company.

The Charbrew brand is the brainchild of Soliman, 23, who founded the business after graduating from Newcastle University with a degree in accounting and finance.

Since launching less than a year ago, it has developed six fruit and herbal blends and secured listings with 20 UK retailers, including supermarket group Booths and kitchenware specialist Lakeland. 

Now, with Hook on board, the business plans to accelerate its  rollout with major grocery chains across Europe and the Middle East, where demand for fruit and herbal teas is growing quickly.

Soliman said:  “Chris has a proven track record of developing niche, high value brands across international markets. Given our strategic focus on growing overseas sales of Charbrew, his expertise and experience will be crucial to our continued success.”

Chris Hook said: “As customers’ tastes and lifestyles change, the market for alternative blends is growing quickly and outstripping traditional tea bags.
Achieving scale with a niche product however requires a clear export-led strategy to target key international markets, which is where my focus will be over the coming months.

“I’ve been hugely impressed by what Adam has achieved to date, having created a brand with the perfect platform for global growth.”