Origin Story
Wicker Basket was born in the city of Brighton & Hove in March 2023. Our founder Ryu Okada spent 10 years at top cocktail bars in Tokyo and London then launched into his first business venture in 2013, Kampai Cocktails – a mobile cocktail bar company: www.kampaicocktails.co.uk
The concept of the tea spritz, combining tea and alcohol – two beverages which are much loved in the UK – stems from Ryu’s experience of British culture. Prior to his arrival in the country, he had little understanding of British food and drink. However, whether it is a handmade pie from a butcher, a beer from a local brewery or a farmhouse cheese, Ryu has always enjoyed discovering the quality of British homegrown produce. These artisan local traditions remind him of the Japanese food and drink culture where almost every town has its unique produce linked to local tradition.
As he explores local specialities, Ryu senses that British produce and heritage are undervalued – perhaps because of the dominance of supermarkets or simply the preference for the new and exotic. Employing his expertise in mixing drinks, this led him to create Wicker Basket, a beverage steeped in British culture in its use of the nation's two most loved drinks – tea and alcohol. After numerous experiments, mixings and shakings, tea spritz and Wicker Basket were finally born!
We craft not just a beverage but a celebration of British tradition – nothing less than a new British classic!
P.S Ryu initially wanted to call the brand 'Woven Basket' (for its association with tea-picking and picnic baskets) but being Japanese, he just could not pronounce the word 'woven', hence the new name: 'Wicker Basket'. As time goes by, we love this new name even more!
Our Process
We use a unique process to draw the complex flavours from the quality ingredients we source. Gentle maceration in alcohol extracts the natural flavour and aroma from the tea and the finest ingredients then we combine the spirits with a small amount of organic raw cane sugar and a squeeze of citrus to create the perfect balance we're looking for.
Our drinks are always additives free, gluten free and vegan.
Our Approach
We are committed to caring for our environment so our packaging is 100% plastic free and we opted to use recyclable cans instead of glass bottles as they create significantly less carbon footprint.
Our teas only come from Ethical Tea Partnership(ETP) suppliers. This fair trade organisation works to insure that teas are sourced from estates with excellent track records of social welfare, building homes, hospitals and schools to ensure workers and their families are well cared for.
