35 Castle Arcade

Bird & Blend opened their doors in 2019 with a vision to share unique tea flavours from across the globe with the people of Cardiff. Situated in the heart of Castle Arcade, owners Krisi and Mike are leading the way in tea innovation in the UK. After meeting at university, the couple started by packing tea in their bedroom before building the brand from scratch.

Jess Butcher, a mixologist at Bird & Blend Tea explains that they’re not the same as any other tea shop, Bird & Blend Tea specialise in tea blends. We have your traditional teas but then we have funky ones like jelly and ice cream. There are a lot of different teas but one of the things we specialise in is the atmosphere we create in the shop. You can come in taste different teas and pick a flavour you really like.

The business was hit hard by the pandemic – but continued urging people to shop local and support the arcades in Cardiff.

“The pandemic really affected us because we were building our customer base and all of the events that we had planned obviously had to be cancelled,” said Jess. “People seem to be figuring out their routines again which has really helped and now we’re building up our reputation again.”

Located just off High Street and a short walk from Cardiff Castle, Bird & Blend is at the centre of Cardiff’s independent community.

“Everyone’s welcoming and all the businesses do their best to support each other. When you shop at an independent, we really care and notice when you spend your time and money. We also recognise a lot of our customers, and we like to build those relationships.”

“If you’re having a bad day, come to the arcade and the businesses will cheer you up. It’s more than just shopping, it’s about an experience and improving your mood.”

It’s really important to be a part of this campaign, we need more awareness and people need to learn more about them. There are so many unique shops that people will enjoy shopping here.